Our Hidden Secrets
by Neurosthedream
Summary: AU version of the show, following canon from season 2. Ziva and Tony have known each other since they were little kids, they marry mid season 2. Take a look into the agents life as they deal with having to hide their marriage.
1. 2X22, SWAK

**Disclaimer: I do not own this**

The scent of freshly brewed coffee lingers in the kitchen air, as the coffee machine beeps, startling Tony out of sleep. He's fallen asleep on the counter; elbow propped up supporting his head, as his eyes began to flutter. Running a hand down his face, his wipes the sleepy residue away. He drags into the kitchen, serving a cup of coffee. His body is desperate for a cup, craving it. It's what he needs if he is to be fully functional for his video chat with his wife. These are not regular Tony hours. If it were any other day, he'd probably still be in bed. But today there were other priorities that trumped his sleep. A video chat with his wife seemed like reason enough.

Of course there were exchanging of emails and texts throughout both their days, keeping in mind the time difference, and the occasional video chat. But mindless words were never going to compare to the real thing. Texts didn't cuddle with him, they didn't smell like his wife, nor did they lie on the couch to watch movies. No, texts didn't do any of that. All that those texts did was remind Tony that his wife was not here, making him miss her even more. After this week though, he would have taken those mindless texts, it was better than not hearing from her at all.

This week had been tough with no contact from Ziva whatsoever. She'd been sent on a mission, that they both had hopped wouldn't take more than two days tops, but those two days turned into weeks and Tony was really starting to miss her. It also didn't help that in a couple of days, he'd be boarding a flight to Israel. It'd been three months since he'd seen her last. These months made Tony wonder why'd had he agreed to this absurd idea in the first place, but as he pictured that precise day, Ziva walking down the aisle, Nettie, their only witness, watching as they exchanged their vows. The vow to love each other through all the curve balls that life had to offer, referring to this living condition, to uphold the promise that no matter what happens they are to remember that they are one, each other's half. It wasn't how Tony had pictured his wedding, but it didn't matter, especially since it had been a spur of the moment thing. They'd been visiting aunt Nettie, discussing something, it didn't matter, but somehow Nettie jokingly suggested they get married. Neither had opposed to the idea, Nettie setting everything up for them. It would just be the three of them, of course, but it had still been beautiful. There had been a small abandoned church nearby, still gorgeous. Nettie, the amazing woman she was, called her friend, a Jewish clergy and he was more than willing to perform the ceremony for them. They tried to incorporate, as much from both religions as possible, but in the end all that mattered was that they be husband and wife, professing their true love for each other, nothing else.

Tony's lips turned into a hint of a smile, sipping from his coffee. _That is why,_ Tony thought. That exact moment, as Ziva promised to be his wife forever, placing the ring on her finger, that was why Tony was doing this. Nothing else mattered, yes he currently hated his situation, but thinking back to that day, he's able to bare the lonely life he has in D.C., because at the end of the day, he has his wife. It didn't matter that they had to hide their marriage from everyone, especially her father, it didn't matter that she was in Israel, her duty to mossad, while he was in D.C, his duty to NCIS. None of it matter, it was more important, he thought, that they are able to conserve their marriage, be it hidden for safety reasons, then risking Eli finding out and saying goodbye to each other forever. Tony had known Eli a long time, the man tolerated him, but he didn't know if he'd appreciate knowing that her daughter had married an America, especially the offspring of ladies man Senior DiNozzo.

Tony just had to keep reminding himself about his vows, they helped with knowing that one day soon, he and Ziva would be able to share a life together. But that didn't stop him from missing Ziva, her heartfelt laugh, the way she scrunched her eyebrows together when she was deep in thought, the way her lips felt on his, he'd even go as far as saying that he missed when she'd shut him up during a movie for quoting every bit of it, or adding unnecessary trivia.

Tony glances at the digital clock, as he continues to drink his coffee, he hopes Ziva doesn't take much longer. She'd promised to be on at 0630. He's so impatient to see her, speak with her and that's when Tony realizes that after eight months of marriage he's a changed man. They'd been together for fifteen years, on and off, but he didn't really start to be the way he was until they'd gotten married. At work he was still the goofball, playboy, ladies man, but with Ziva he was able to take off his mask and be who he really was, still a goofball, but sensitive, caring.

Tony glances once more at the clock, sighing when he realizes the time. But his fowl mood quickly dissipates when he hears her voice, ringing through his apartment. "Tony! Tony! Are you there?" Tony runs towards his coffee table, hitting the accept button quickly. Within seconds his wife appears on screen. Her hair is done, her curls more wild today than normal, but Tony can't think of another word to describe her, except gorgeous. She's smiling, a sparkle in her eyes. He's missed her so much and he's overcome with various emotions. This is why they rarely skyped he thought, because at one glance of his wife and he's ready to hop onto a plane.

"Hey," Tony replies. It's taking all his self-control not to express how much he's missed her, how much he loves her, because he doesn't want to make a fool of himself in front of his wife.

"Shalom," Comes the simple reply, he watches as she leans sideways on her couch, picking up her cup of tea. That's when he notices the giant bruise that's colored her olive skin. He winces, not even wanting to think what happened during her absence. "How are you?"

Tony watches Ziva wince as she tries to make her self more comfortable. It takes some serious self control to not burst out, 'what the hell happened', because he knows she wont talk about it and there's no use arguing with her. It'll just piss both them off and he doesn't want to ruin his chance to speak with her. Not today, when he hasn't spoken with her in so long. He wishes he were there, able to wait on her hand and foot until she's recovered. But he can't, the only thing he can do is answer her question. He sighs, putting on a smile so she can't read what he's really feeling. "Fine," He shrugs, because he's not fine, well he was until recently.

Ziva doesn't believe he is fine; she's been with him so long that she's able to read Tony. He seems off, unlike himself. She knows this is hard on him, but he's often the optimistic when she's feeling down. But today, today it looks like it's her turn to play the part. "Tony, tell me what is wrong?" Her expression is soft worry flashing in her eyes.

Tony shrugs; he doesn't understand why he's feeling so glum. The situation has never hit him so hard. He usually so optimistic, able to see the bright light at the end of the tunnel, but today he's not and he doesn't understand it. Maybe it had something to do with the dream, better yet nightmare, he'd had last night. He didn't remember much, but what he did was enough to leave him in this mood. It all happened so fast, but one moment he's enjoying a walk in a vineyard and the next his wife was taken. That caused him to jolt awake, a beading sweat and this feeling of fear that won't leave him. He knows that if he can hold Ziva, have him next to her, making sure that she's really there, then he would be fine. But because he can't and he cannot be certain this isn't a trick, he feels off.

"I just miss you," comes the simple reply. He doesn't want to worry her, with his irrational fears. She's already has so much on her plate he doesn't want to add more to it.

"I know ahava, I miss you too." Three months has certainly been too long, she thinks. They'd gone longer almost a whole year without visiting, but that was when they were kids, dating. But things were different, they weren't kids, they were adults and married, that changed everything for them. They took their vows seriously, especially Ziva, because she knew that with the jobs they had there were never any guarantees.

"I miss you more than usual." He shrugs, glancing out the window and back at her. "Would you mind if I came a bit earlier?" The way Tony was feeling, he wouldn't be surprised if he hopped on a plane right now, disregarding his job and his life.

"You know that I would not, but we need to be patient. Remember this is not permanent and each day we spend apart is one day closer we are to being together. Please wait until our scheduled time; abba is set to fly out to visit aunt Nettie." Ziva looks at Tony with all the love in the world, she needs him to wait.

Tony rubs a hand on the back of his head, looking sheepish. "Yeah, I guess it was impulsive on my part, huh?"

She nods, a grin forming on the corner of her lips. "A little, but you look very sexy when you are impulsive." He smiles, as she tries to lighten the mood. But that quickly ends when she notices the time it's on his side of the world. "Tony it's seven thirty, you have to go."

"Five more minutes, mom." He jokes, begging like a little kid who doesn't want to get up for school.

"No, Tony. If you are late, there will be consequences I would very much like to see you. We can talk more when you get off of work, yes?" Tony nodded sadly, knowing Ziva had a point. If he was late by even five minutes, Gibbs was sure take away his vacation time. "Ahi ohevet otkha," they made it a rule to always say I love you, with their jobs they never knew if they would be coming home that night, and they would like for that to be the last words they heard from each other.

"Ani ohev otakh," he replies effortlessly. With a final smile, she hits the end call, leaving a black screen for Tony. He really hopes for a case today, thinking that maybe that will be able to provide some sort of distraction. The nightmare had really shaken him up and now he has to go to work and put up a façade, he's not sure he will able to keep up today. But he has to; with a sigh he closes his laptop.

**NCIS**

Tony had been in the squad room with Kate and McGee, telling them he worked with a pair of wankers. Gibbs walks in at that moment, his hand making hard contact with the back of Tony's head, "you make three."

He chooses to ignore his boss's comment, diverging the conversation back to Kate's cold, to stop his coworkers from snickering like schoolgirls. At the mention of Kate's cold, McGee walks over to Kate's desk, carrying tissues. He gives her a smile, leaving them on her desk.

The mail guy walks by, in the middle of their discussion, dropping the mail onto McGee's desk. He scans it, immediately separating his mail into their respectful piles. But as he continues to flip through what seems like junk, his eyes stop on an envelope sealed with a kiss. Like any man, he's curious as to the contents of the package. He holds it up for Tony to see; maybe he would know something about it. "This one is just addressed to NCIS." Time doesn't even finish his sentence, before Tony had already snatched it out of his hand.

"I think that's mine McGee." With the envelope in hand, Tony walks over to his desk, grabbing his letter opener to open the envelope. With the envelope open, Tony notices a white powder. He blows it out the way, spreading it through the air like baby powder. The next moments happen in slow motion. He's standing behind his desk, envelope in hand, as he watches Gibbs jump onto his desk and orders the agents to evacuate the building.

Tony snaps out of his trance, throwing away the letter. Worried, Kate tosses Tony her bottle of water. He opens it, pouring it over his head and rinsing as much as he can. He's panicking, but he doesn't show it as Kate calls emergency to inform them of the situation at hand and Gibbs tells McGee to follow through on protocol. First thing is first, head down to the showers and scrub any trace evidence they can.

Now that they've been scrubbed, sterilized, and sanitized thoroughly, they make their way down to autopsy. Ducky needs to withdrawal blood, make sure that they weren't infected by anything. As he is doing this the CDC enters, they ask for the person who has opened the letter. Tony immediately resolving to jokes, blaming it on Kate, to hide the fact that he is scared shitless. The unknown of the substance, there are so many things that he could have and it scares Tony. He's afraid of dying, not death per say, but the fact of leaving Ziva behind.

But he understands this is no joking matter, with a sigh he gets up and tells them it was him. Kate unfortunately sneezes and they stare at her worried. She dismisses it, telling them it's a cold, but they take her anyways. They aren't ready to risk anything with these two agents.

They're escorted to Bethseda in a sterilized white van, placed in isolation until they arrive, where they are poked and prodded for many tests. Kate's fed up, blaming all her misery on Tony, until their doctor Brad Pitt comes too speak with them. He's obviously flirting, as is she. The doctor accompanied by a nurse Emma, whom immediately has the hots for Tony, led them into an airlock chamber, handing the pair several pills to help prevent infection, and then allowed to pick any of the six beds available. Tony still making joke, picks the bed next to Kate, but the doctor steps in, telling them that separation would be good in case there was an infection. Kate gladly sticks her tongue out at Tony and heads to the farthest bed, as he takes the one closest to the door.

Tony has been lying in his bed for who knows how long, maybe several minutes, hours, who knew, but he's bored out of his mind. He stares at the ceiling; a million scenarios of what could be wrong flowing through his brain. They all some way end up with him dead, lying in a coffin as Ziva weeps over his body. He doesn't want to think about that, so instead he does what he knows can get him away from thinking such thoughts. He makes a movie reference to what the scenario reminds him of. This particular time it's the boy in the bubble. Kate's frustrated that's much is obvious, begging Tony that as long as they were stuck she wouldn't make fun of him if he wouldn't take about movies. He nods, but he can't go back to staring at the ceiling, risking all those unwanted thoughts to flow back in. But, he doesn't want to break his promise to Kate, so he opts for speaking with nurse Emma about it. The nurse smiles thinking Tony is flirting with her, as Kate groans, covering her head with her pillow.

**NCIS**

At this point Tony is out of his mind bored and when the thoughts start to creep back in, he resolves to inspecting the blue lamps. He starts blabbering about what if the lamps were just a placebo affect, making them think it's working, when in reality it did nothing to help with the infection. That was what scared Tony most of all, that he was dying but nobody would tell him that. He would rather know then be in the dark. He needs to know if he is dying, because he'd very much like to speak with Ziva before that happened. At least hearing her voice could help calm him down; of course he'd rather have Ziva with him. At one point he had started picture Ziva in Kate, but that had quickly vanished when she started speaking. Kate was nothing like Ziva, but at least he wasn't alone.

The doctor, Brad, came back with their results. He goes to speak with Kate as Nurse Emma attempts to hook Tony up to and IV. He breaks it to her that everyone but Tony's results are negative and she can't believe. That dumbass actually went and got himself the plague. It was reckless, idiotic, but so Tony. "So tell me doc what do I have?"

The jokes and games were lost, the doctors eyes turned dark, his voice serious. "Plague," his voice is rid of the emotion.

"Plague," Tony repeats, processing this newfound information. He may have been a phys ed major but Tony wasn't stupid. He knew what the plague entailed, he knew there was no hope for him.

Kate's pissed because she's scared, scared to lose Tony. She's yelling at him for being so immature and he can't deal with it, because it's reminding him of Ziva. If only he hadn't opened that damn letter, he wouldn't be in this mess. He wouldn't be worrying about dying, leaving Ziva behind. If he hadn't opened that damn letter, then in just a couple of days, he'd be boarding a plane to see his wife. Now, he didn't know if he would ever see her again, hear her voice, feel her lips on his and it was all thanks to how immature he had acted. No, Tony couldn't take Kate's screaming. It brought to many memories to rise.

Tony needs to shut Kate up, before he gives himself a panic attack. He does what he does best and charms her, speaking Italian. Kate's frustrated and scared and it only pisses her off more, but she understands what he's doing and goes along with it. "Tony here thinks that by speaking in Italian it will turn any woman on." She's rolling her eyes, unamused with Tony's antics.

He's thinking how it works for his wife, but he can't argue that unfortunately, so instead he settles for a movie reference. "It worked for Rwanda."

**NCIS**

It's been a couple of hours and Tony's not getting better, he's getting worse. He's developed a cough, spitting up blood in the process. That's never a good sign and they all know it. They're worried, scared for Tony's life. There isn't much they can do for him and that's what scares Kate the most.

Scared out of his mind, Tony resolves to banter with Kate. "Thanks for passing along the cough, Kate." Nurse Emma is at his side, wiping away the blood that's escaped from his cough. Tony's lips are dry, cracked and turning blue due to the lack of air. He's finding it harder to breath and he knows it's only a matter of time before his body can no longer continue fighting this. In the beginning, he thought it wasn't anything so he hadn't wanted to worry Ziva, but now he knew that someone needed to relay the message to her.

The nurse is heading out as Tony grabs her by the wrist. His arm is heavy, feeling of metal, but he has to stop her. The nurses noticing walks back, coming to stand at his bedside. He tries to lift himself up, but he's weak and it proves to be too much work. "I," He's tired, he has no energy to even speak what he needs to, but he needs to.

"Don't try to speak. Save your energy."

Tony shakes his head; his wife needs to be informed of his state. She can't be kept in the dark, it's not fair. "From my cellphone," the coughing starts up again. "I need you to call my wife Ziva." He wanted to say more, but he's exhausted. His lungs are on fire, they need more air, but it's getting harder and harder to take a breath as his chest feels constricted. He's wheezing, not helping matters. His nails have gone blue and Tony knows it won't be long before the plague has completely engulfed him.

The nurse takes out a pad and pen handing it to Tony. He's so weak and he finds the simple task to require more effort, but he finally writes it down, handing it back to the nurse. She shoves the paper into her pocket, promising Tony she'd call. She takes out her cellphone as she heads out of the room and begins to deal. "Officer David," the harsh reply comes from the other line.

"Hello, I'm nurse Emma, calling in regards to Tony DiNozzo"

"Tony," Ziva mutters quietly, but the nurse hears her.

The nurse finds herself nodding, even though she knows that the women cannot see her. "Yes, he's very sick. He has come in contact with the pneumonic plague."

It's not what Ziva is expecting not at all. She froze almost dropping her cellphone. She has to remind herself to breath, she pushes past the lump that formed in her throat and find her voice once again. There's only one thing Ziva is concerned about. "Is he going to make it?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, he isn't looking so well. I don't think he will make it through the night." The nurse informs her honestly, there's no reason to lie to her.

Ziva was trying to hold herself together, her body is shaking, her voice is trembling. But she knows that she can't break down, not until she knew where Tony was. Just like Tony had wanted to act on impuslse this morning, she found herself doing the same thing. But this wasn't the same thing, right now she didn't care that she was taking off. Screw her job, screw the rule and her father. She needed to get to her husband. "I will be in the next flight out, but I am flying in from Israel. It will not be less than fifteen hours before I make it." Ziva's voice wouldn't stop trembling, but she just needed to hold it in long enough to get through this phone call.

The nurse really hoped that Tony would make it through or at the least hold on long enough for him to see his wife and say goodbye. They deserved at least that. "He is at Bethseda."

Ziva thanks the nurse, hanging up the phone, proceeds to call an airline, booking the next flight to D.C. It was a long flight to D.C. and Ziva only hopped that she would make it in time. Tony needed to pull through. He had to. There was no other option for him. Ziva wouldn't allow it.

**NCIS**

When Gibbs found out that the bacterium was no longer viable after threatening the lab tech, he sped to the hospital to inform the doctor. But it had already done its damage on Tony's body. He too was scared that his senior field agent would die. "You will not die. You do not have my permission to die." He slaps Tony's head, but gently; full aware that anything harder would not be smart on his part.

Tony coughs again, but it's not longer the bloody cough from earlier, it's a dry cough. "I will try my best boss." Satisfied that he'd gotten his message across Tony's thick skull he walks out.

Kate came back in after speaking with Ducky; she'd planned to sleep the night to keep Tony company. Unlike earlier, she takes the bed next to his. It was silent; she believed that Tony had been asleep. "This reminds me of the end of alien." Tony jokes breaking the silence. It's clear to everyone that Tony is getting better, out of the danger zone.

**NCIS**

Tony had finally been released from the isolation chamber and transferred into a regular hospital room. As much as he opposed, they needed to keep him for twenty-four observation to make sure that the bacteria would not return. Tony wanted to go home, but when he tried to sit up that he wouldn't even make it out of the hospital. So, he'd agreed to only stay the necessary twenty-four hours.

With Kate gone and the team working on a case Tony was bored. He'd flipped through the television, but it was crappy and didn't have anything good. He turns the tv off, slamming the remote on the couch and groaning.

Ziva chuckles, but Tony doesn't seem to hear nor notice her. "Good morning ahava. I am glad to see you are doing better." The worry dissipated from her, as she saw Tony lying in that bed. She was glad that he was okay and recovering. When she arrived at the hospital she didn't know what she would be coming to. Would he be connected to many machines and tubes? Would he be close to death? She didn't know.

Tony, whom had been staring out of the window, turned at the sound of the voice. Rubbing his eyes, because he doesn't know if he's hallucinating or if she's really standing in the entryway. "Zi, what are you doing here?"

"A nurse Emma called telling me you had the plague. I was freaked out Tony and so I took the next flight out here." She's displaying all of her emotions in her eyes, not even bothering to hide it. She knows that there is no use hiding it with Tony, she doesn't care. She makes her way to his bedside, wanting to kiss him, makes sure he's okay.

Tony scoots over, allowing room for Ziva to join him in the bed. "You don't have to worry anymore. I'm fine." She gets into the bed, cuddling up to her husband, breathing in his scent. Glad that he was okay. She's missed him and now she's here with him. "But I am glad you're here. I've missed you." Tony kisses the crown of her hair, reassuring his wife that's he is safe, he's alive. But he also does it because it's been so long, since he's held her.

"As have I." She kisses him on the lips gently, afraid that she would hurt him. He's lips are still bruised.

They don't speak another word, just lying there, holding each other. It's been so long since they'd been able to do this, that they take advantage. There's no words needed. They just needed one another and that for now was enough.

**Well that concludes the first chapter. I hope you guys like it, if so let me know and there will be more chapters coming your way. Uploads will be Tuesday/Fridays for now, unless otherwise notified. Thanks for reading. **


	2. Two Week Recovery

**I cannot even voice how grateful I am for all of your reviews. I was not expecting this kind of reaction at all. I am sending you all a virtual hug, but I know you would much prefer chapter 2, so here it is. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

**Monday:**

Tony is moving gingerly around the room, his body still sore from what it had endured, packing all of the things that had been brought to the hospital. His twenty-four hour observation has been fulfilled and health examinations passed. He was no longer in danger of the plague returning and his vitals were stable, therefore he was being released this afternoon. Ziva had insisted that she stay with him these two weeks that his boss had ordered him to take off. She wanted to make sure that he was resting and eating properly, but over all she just wanted to spend time with her husband.

Ziva walks back into the room, after filling out some papers that the nurse had handed her, seeing Tony struggle to carry his bag. She shakes her head as she chuckles at her husband's actions. He knows he's supposed to be resting, but the impatient man that he is, needed to have everything ready to go. It's no mystery to her that he wants to leave.

She races over to him, taking the bag and placing it on the couch. "You are meant to be resting." There's a tad bit of concern mixed in with the humor.

"I'm fine, I just want out of here already." He groans as Ziva leads him to the hospital bed, but he protests. Instead she settles for the couch, forcing him to sit down and rest. He's clearly not entirely fine; she can tell by the way he's still struggling to take a deep breath and carefully calculating his moments.

"They are preparing your discharge papers. Now at least sit on the couch until you are released." Tony agrees, gently lowering himself on the couch as Ziva takes a seat next to him.

"Fine." He sighs. There's no arguing with Ziva at this point, so he changes the direction of the conversation. "You sure you won't get in trouble?" Ziva has told him that she would be staying unless something comes up, but he is just so worried of her getting caught. He would love to spend two weeks with her, but not at the expense of her punishment.

Ziva takes Tony's hand, rubbing her thumb alongside it. "Yes, there is some things that Abba needs to take care of in Monte Carlo with your father."

Tony's grin is contagious and Ziva finds her lips forming a smile. He leans over carefully, placing a gentle kiss on Ziva's lips, as his were still badly bruised. "Thank you for being here Ziva." Tony holds out his arms for Ziva to lean in. She settles in Tony's arms, careful of his sore body. Gently she rests her head on his chest, the beating of his heart to soothe her. Listening to his heart makes Ziva realize how lucky she is, lucky to have a husband like Tony DiNozzo, lucky that he had survived and was all right. She didn't know nor did she want to think what she would do without him.

Tony places a kiss to her temple, wrapping his arms around Ziva's waist. "There is no place I would rather be, ahuvi," and it's true. There is no place she'd rather be. It has been too long since they'd seen each other, at the moment that was all they needed, to spend time with one another, even if it was two weeks of cuddling on the couch to watch movies.

They just lay there for a little while, Tony rubbing little circles on Ziva's stomach. They're so relaxed that they fall asleep on the couch, in each other's arms. The next time they awake, it is because the doctor is waking them, discharge papers in hand. Tony and Ziva are caught off guard, when they see the doctor they move away, but still sit close to one another, hands intertwining. "Are you back with my discharge papers?" Tony asks.

"Yes, Mr. DiNozzo." Tony tries to take the papers from the doctor, eager to sign them and be down with this place. But the doctor snatches them away, shaking her head at Tony. "First we need to discuss some things." Tony sighs, leaning back against the couch to listen to what the doctor has to say. "The plague has left your lungs mildly scarred, so you will need to keep the extraneous activities down to a medium. Slowly you can start getting back into your daily work out routines to build up your stamina, but keep in mind that your lungs won't return to its full capacity." Tony nods at everything that the doctor has told him. "Okay, well then here are your discharge papers." She hands Tony the papers, holding them out as Tony takes them from her. "Just promise to take it easy."

Tony signs the papers quickly, handing them back to the doctor, a big smile plastered on his face. "Okay, well then I guess that's it. Take care, Mr. DiNozzo." She eyes Ziva, before heading out. "Make sure he gets some rest." With one last warning for the both of them to take it easy she leaves them to prepare, before calling a nurse to bring them a wheel chair.

The nurse walks in with the wheel chair just as Tony and Ziva finish gathering everything. As soon as Tony catches sight of the chair he refuses it, but the nurses insists he must, as it is hospital protocol. He's still refusing and not listening to reason, he's insistent on walking out.

Ziva's heard enough, she's ready to go, but Tony will not cooperate. She walks to his side, whispering in to his ear threatening things. The nurse just watches as Tony gulps, before giving in and sitting in the wheelchair. With Tony in the wheel chair, one more look around to make sure they didn't leave anything they are ready to leave.

**NCIS**

Back at the apartment, Tony's clothes had been placed in the dirty hamper, his bag cleared of its belongings and placed in their adequate place. Ziva had insisted Tony take a shower meanwhile Ziva rummaged through Tony's fridge, looking for anything to make lunch with. There's nothing in there except for leftover takeout boxes, moving over to the pantry she has no success either.

Tony walks out of the bedroom, throwing on a shirt as he joins Ziva at the counter. She looks up from the grocery list she is making to look at her husband, a slight smile forming. "Tony, you need to start eating healthier foods."

"You know I'm not a chef, therefore take out is my only option." He tries to defend himself, flashing his DiNozzo smile at her. It's futile because he hears her sigh, but she isn't easing up on the subject.

Ziva was going to get Tony to start eat healthier even if it killed him, especially with him just out of the hospital his meals needed to contain the proper nutrition. "I will go to the grocery store tomorrow. While I am here we are eating real food." She's looking at Tony sternly, trying to get the point across that she is serious.

Tony nods. He agrees with her because if he's honest with himself he's tired of takeout, he would much rather have Ziva's cooking. But for tonight he is craving a pizza and seeing as he has been on hospital food the last two days, he hopes Ziva won't oppose to one for tonight. "Okay, but can we at least order one for tonight? I've been on hospital food." He makes a pouty face, much like a child.

"Just for tonight." She says sternly, as she hands Tony the phone.

**NCIS**

A whole pizza later, they're lying on the couch together as the ending credits to the Italian Job roll by. They can't think of a better way to spend their afternoon, well Tony can think of one way, but he's been band and Ziva is intent on following the rules. So, they settle for staying on the couch, too comfortable to move, Ziva checking her emails, making sure that she hasn't missed anything important. Tony on the other hand is intent on distracting Ziva, tucking a loose piece of hair behind Ziva's ear, marveling at her beauty. Ziva can feel Tony's gaze on her; she looks up to him, scrunching her eyebrows together. "What, do I have something on my face?" She asks, wiping around her mouth.

"No hon, I'm just glad you're here is all." Tony's smile is genuine, the special smile that he has reserved just for her. Not the cheesy DiNozzo grin he uses whenever he is trying to be smooth with the ladies, no this smile, the one Tony is offering Ziva, is the one he's reserved for her. The one that says I love you, you're amazing, beautiful.

Ziva blushes at the amount of love that Tony has for her. She doesn't feel worthy of his love at times. She doubts that she'll never be worth it, that she will never be the wife that he deserves. But it's times like these, when Tony looks at her like he has the greatest of treasures that Ziva realizes that maybe she's managed not to completely mess things up. That maybe she can be the wife that Tony needs her to be.

"As am I." Ziva continues to check her email, reading one from aunt Nettie.

Tony starts to rub Ziva's thigh, attempting to distract her from her email. She's ignoring him, intent on reading her letter, but Tony is just as intent on distracting her. He begins to rub the inside of his thigh now, sensing how her muscles tighten to her his touch. She smirks as she tries to ignore him; she knows that if she just ignores him he'll stop. She can't encourage his behavior as they aren't supposed to be doing this type of activity.

As Ziva keeps ignoring him, Tony is more intent on getting his wife's attention. He keeps rubbing her thighs, kissing her neck and collarbone. As much as Ziva tries she can't concentrate, finally she turns the computer off and places it on the coffee table. With the computer out of the way, Tony takes his opportunity to trail more of Ziva's body, ending on her lips. She allows her desire to take over, loosing herself in Tony's kiss.

Ziva reciprocates the kiss, allowing Tony access into her mouth. Savoring the taste of each other, they continue to kiss until the need for air has become too much. Even then the desire for each other is much greater and their lips return, the second kiss escalating quicker than the first. Tony pulls her against his body, strattling her onto his lap. Pushing her into his abdomen, he snakes his hands under her shirt, letting them rest on her bareback, the heat from her body radiating on his hands. He starts to lift her shirt, getting it halfway off, before Ziva pushes his hands down. He tries again moments later, but again Ziva stops him, this time hopping off Tony. "We cannot. You know what the doctor said."

It was killing her to say no, but this was for his wellbeing. Tony stares at her, the same expression of love, passion and desperation burning in his eyes. "Please Zi, it will be fine. I promise." She's trying to be the strong one, but she too has desire, want and the way Tony is looking at her is just enough for her to give in.

"Shut up and kiss me." She says a smirk on her face.

Tony does what she says, crashing his lips on her. Picking up his wife, he tires to carry her to the bedroom bridal style. But he couldn't, it was still too much energy to carry her and he needed to save his energy for this activity. Ziva glares at Tony, brows furrowed, head tilted slightly. "I uh," Tony rubs the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed at what he was going to admit. "I wanted to carry you to the room, but I still don't have all my energy and the couch is sort of uncomfortable. So, can we head to the bedroom?"

Ziva nods. Tony takes her hand, heading down the hall towards the bedroom, but before Tony could take things any further than just kissing Ziva stops him. "I will be right back." With a sigh and a nod he sits down, watching as his wife disappears into the bathroom. As he waits for Ziva, Tony's eyes begin to close, until finally his head hits the pillow.

Ziva emerges from the bathroom only to find Tony fast asleep. She smiles because although he wouldn't admit it, he was still recovering and exhausted. This had been too much activity for him and had drained all of his energy. She had been right when she had told him that they shouldn't do it, but her husband was stubborn and as much as she tried, she couldn't say no to those emerald green-eyes.

Ziva makes her way to the bed, pulling out two blankets from the wooden chest Tony kept at the end of the bed, draping one over him, climbing in and snuggling up to Tony. With a kiss to his forehead, she whispers I love you and joins Tony in his sleep.

**Tuesday:**

Ziva wakes to an empty bed and that doesn't make her very happy. Wanting to find her husband, she makes her way out bed, throwing her head up in a ponytail. She starts with the living room the most obvious place she can think of, but comes up short. "Oh shit!" Ziva hears Tony yell, followed by the sound of frying pans hitting the floor. She follows the sound, finding Tony in the kitchen cooking her breakfast, or at least trying to. She walks up behind him, snaking her arms around his waist, planting a gentle kiss in between his shoulder blades. "Boker tov," she greeted him, placing another kiss in between his shoulder blades and resting her head on his back.

Tony turns his head slightly, placing a kiss on his wife's soft, warm lips. "As you might have noticed my attempt to make you breakfast in bed has failed." He shrugs, as he stars at his poor excuse of a breakfast.

"It is the thought that counts ahava, is it not?"

"Go get changed while I finish cleaning up my mess. I will take you out for breakfast." He continues to wash the pans and kitchen as Ziva goes to get ready.

**NCIS**

Breakfast had been uneventful and the grocery store wasn't much fun for Tony either. Ziva was very strict on what was to be purchased. She methodically walked down every aisle, planning meals in her head. Also thinking of simple meals that she could teach Tony to make and he'd be able to cook, instead of relying on take out every night. While Ziva was distracted, Tony was returning to past aisles, picking everything Ziva had placed back. He snuck them in the cart, hiding them under the vegetables and chicken.

Although Ziva's mind was on other things, her keen ninja senses were still on full alert. She knew Tony was sneaking food into the cart, but decided to allow him to believe that he'd gotten away with it. But when they reached the baked goods and she noticed Tony secretly placing some muffins in the cart, she turned to stare at him. "You do not have to hide the food from me. I am not entirely evil, you can have some stuff you like."

"Okay," they continued on with the shopping, getting a variety of fruits and vegetables at the last stop, before heading to the check out counter. It was a Tuesday morning and most people were at work, so there was no line and they were checked out quickly.

**NCIS**

Once the groceries were unloaded Tony crashed on the couch, turning the TV on to a hockey game, while Ziva was in the kitchen, putting away the groceries. But having missed a very important detail, she wipes her hands on her apron, walking to stand in full view of the TV. "Hey!" he yelled, trying to see around Ziva.

"Come help me, so that you learn how to cook." Tony knew better than to argue with his assassin wife, so with a sigh and turning off the TV, he follows Ziva into the kitchen.

"Thank you," pecking his cheek, she hands him a cooking utensils, ordering him to stir.

The rest of the afternoon is spent cooking. Ziva was able to teach Tony several different easy meals, which he could easily wipe up after work. Now with the cooking out of the way and exhausted, they make a bowl of popcorn, melting some caramel and curling up on the couch to watch endless amounts of movies.

**Wednesday- Saturday**

The blaring of the alarm is what wakes Tony DiNozzo. He'd much rather sleep in, but unfortunately he has a checkup at the doctors office. Tony rolls over, slamming a hand on the snooze button, he begs for five more minutes. He rolls closer to his wife, going to place an arm over her waist, but he's met with cold sheets. Tony rubs a hand down his face, looking to where his wife should be and sure enough he finds her spot empty. _So much for five more minutes_, he thinks, rolling out of bed. He throws on a shirt, heading towards the kitchen to start some coffee. He's hoping he'll find his wife in there, but instead he finds coffee in the coffee pot and a note on the counter.

_Went on a run I will hopefully be back before you wake, but if I am not there is coffee already made. _

_AOO Ziva._

Tony serves himself a cup of coffee, grabs one of his banana muffins they'd bought, then heads to the living room. He flips on the TV, but there's not much to watch. Somehow or another he ends up on cartoons and he can't stop wondering if this is what it would be like if they ever had kids. Saturday mornings, of course it wasn't Saturday, spent on the couch watching cartoons with their son or daughter, and then making breakfast for Ziva and making a bigger mess in the kitchen. The thought made Tony smile. As much as children scared Tony and as much as he said he'd never have any, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like for them to have children, what their kids would look like and even if they'd make good parents.

It's not long before Ziva arrives. She finds Tony on the couch, watching cartoons. Wondering why he would be watching such shows, she approaches him, placing a kiss to his temple from behind. At the feel of his wife's lips, Tony turns around, smiling at her. "How was your run?"

"Relaxing," she returns the smile. "Why are you watching cartoons?"

Tony shrugs, turning off the TV. "There was nothing else to watch. Had to keep myself entertained while you were gone."

"Right, well I am going to shower." She smirks, placing another kiss to Tony's temple. Tony doesn't catch on to Ziva's subtle comment at first. So, she walks to the bedroom slowly, swaying her hips back and forth. He still hasn't caught on, so she's resolved to taking off pieces of clothing until she's left in her sports bra and panties.

Finally Tony realized that it was an invitation for him to join her in the shower. He takes off after her, finding Ziva already in the shower. Quickly he strips down, jumping in the shower. "I was hoping you would catch on quicker than that." She smirks.

"It's not often that a pretty girl invites me to shower with them." Tony wraps his arms around Ziva, kissing her passionately on the lips.

She looks up at him sternly, but her voice is playful. "I better be the only one you are sharing showers with now." She swats him on his forearm.

"I promise, you're the only beautiful woman I would ever share a shower with." That little comment earns him a kiss. The kiss somehow escalated to Tony pinning Ziva against the wall, her legs wrapped around his waist.

**NCIS**

Their shower had lasted longer than bought had thought and now they were twenty minutes late to the doctor's appointment. Rushing into the reception area, Tony was out of breath; his lungs were burning for more air. That's when reality seeped in for Tony that his lungs were still recovering. It had been a small trek from the parking lot, up the stairs and to the doctor's office. But because of how damaged Tony's lungs were, it was enough to make him feel like he'd run a marathon. "I have an appointment to see Dr. Potter." Tony informed the receptionist.

"Name?" The receptionist asks. She doesn't bother to look up, apparently the screen in front of her much more interesting.

"Anthony DiNozzo," she types the information into the computer, her ponytail bobbing as she glances up at the couple. "You are late, Mr. DiNozzo." Tony glances his DiNozzo smile and a short apology. It helps ease her mood, but this older lady is not to be won over by Tony's charm. Please take a seat."

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Tony comments, whispering in Ziva's ear, as they both glance over to the receptionist.

"I would say she fell off it." Tony chuckles at his wife's misinterpretation of the idiom, but he doesn't try to correct. He finds it too adorable.

Not even five minutes later, a nurse is calling them into the office. "Mr. DiNozzo, if you could just take a seat here." Tony does as he's told; Ziva comes to sit at the chairs. The nurse checks Tony's chart before starting with his blood pressure. She asks him a few question of how he's been, his energy level, how his breathing is. She jots these notes down in his chart for the doctor to take a look at. "Everything looks good, the doctor will be right with you." He nods, as he sits on the table waiting for the doctor and the nurse walks out.

The doctor came in with Tony's chart in hand. She's reading his chart, making sure everything looks okay. "Hello Mr. DiNozzo." She greets him and Tony returns the gesture.

"Well everything looks fine, but I would just like to take some blood and run a couple of test." Tony nods wearily, after all the poking they'd done, he was now afraid of needles. Ziva holds his hand and although he knows she'll mock him for this later, he doesn't care at the moment.

It's over before Tony even realizes it. The doctor is labeling the test tubes and placing them in a container to transport them to the lab. She places her stethoscope on his chest, listening to him breath. His lungs are damage, but it's not as bad as how they were a couple of days. Content with the progress he's made, she gives them one final warning. "Everything seems to be in order. Your body is still healing, especially your lungs, so I still want you to take it easy, okay?" Tony nods, but the guilty look on his face gives him away.

The doctor turns to look at Ziva. "Make sure he doesn't go and do something stupid again. His body won't be able to handle it."

Ziva nods, but for her this statement was a punch to the stomach. She figures it's normal for the doctors to always warn the wife's as the husband's are often irresponsible. But to her, it's much more than that; it's a reminder that she hadn't been there for Tony in the first place. She made a horrible wife; she hadn't been there when he needed her most. It was all because she lived in another country, instead of with her husband.

Ziva was able to mask the emotions for the doctor, but not from Tony. He could see that she was feeling guilty, that somehow this was all her fault. He takes her hand, rubbing it gently with her thumb. She wasn't to blame, they both had agreed to this situation and he would continue to support her for as long as she needed. "Well then Mr. DiNozzo you are free to go. I will see you back here in a month." They shake the doctors hand, thanking her before they left her office.

**NCIS**

At the apartment Ziva is still silent, much how she had been on the car ride home. Tony doesn't want Ziva feeling guilty for something she had no control over. "I want to go for a walk care to join me?" Ziva nods, taking Tony's outstretched hand.

The walk to the park is silent. Ziva is not in much mood to speak, she can't but help guilty and thinking how bad of a wife she really is. He lets the silence go on until he notices a couple of tears from Ziva, that's when he stops and pulls her into his embrace. "Hey, Zi everything is okay."

"No it is not Tony. If I had been here, like a wife is supposed to be, then maybe you wouldn't have the plague."

Appalled at what she had said Tony pulls her from him, wiping the tears with his thumbs. "You Ziva DiNozzo are the best wife I could have asked for. Do not think for a second, that you are anything besides that. Just because we don't have the most normal marriage does not make you a horrible wife. You understand me? Plus normal is overrated."

"Toda," she takes his hand again and they continue to walk alongside the park. "I love you Tony and I am sorry that I have put us through of all of this. It is my fault that you are unhappy." She looks at the ground, afraid to meet her husband's gaze.

"Zi, look at me." He tells her, but she wouldn't look up. She couldn't tare her gaze from the ground. She was afraid of meeting Tony's eyes, afraid of what she might see in them. Tony places finger under her chin, bringing her face up to him. "I am not unhappy. I don't know why you would think that. Yes it's hard sometimes, being so far away from you, but I am not unhappy." She gives him a weak smile. "This is not your fault. If anything it is your father's, but this is definitely not your fault. You have to stop blaming yourself for this, okay?" She leans up to give Tony a very appreciative kiss. She doesn't deserve him, nor does she deserve his understanding.

With one last kiss, he wraps his arm around her middle and continues down their path. They enjoyed the rest of the walk, taking in the sight of children playing, mother's yelling at their kids to be careful, couples walking alongside the park, some with dogs, some with children in strollers, and others just like Tony and Ziva.

**NCIS**

The rest of the week was spent much the same way, walks in the park, breakfast at different places, museums, stores and the afternoon was spent curled up on the couch, watching movies or playing board games. The week had come and gone, but both were still glad that there was one more for them to spend much in the same manner. It had been a very good week and both had definitely needed this time together. They had already made plans on what to do, what to see, but that was all flushed down the drain Saturday morning when her father called saying he wanted to see her in the office Monday morning.

Ziva had been furious, if it was some lame excuse just to make sure that she was in Israel she would be pissed, but her father had insisted that it was important and had to do with a mossad officer. She tried to mask her anger from her father, telling him she'd be there, then hanging up with a shalom. The hardest part in all of this had been watching how disappointed Tony was when she told him.

There wasn't much she could do to make this better. Tony had once again reminded her that this wasn't her fault. She tried to believe him, but she couldn't help but feel like it all was. If she had stood up to her father from the beginning, then they wouldn't have to worry about the goodbyes that were soon coming. There wasn't much she could do on the matter now, except curl up with her husband on the couch and enjoy the last night together.

"Ziva cant you just stay for the rest of the week like you had planned?" Tony argued. He knew she couldn't, but it didn't hurt to ask, nor did it hurt to hope.

"I am afraid not. Abba is expecting me on Monday. If I do not show up he will investigate and I cannot risk him finding out. You know what that will mean." Tony nods, he understands, but that doesn't mean he has to like it. "But you will be able to come visit me soon, yes?" Desperation appeared in her tone, she needed Tony's approval. She needed to know that Tony didn't blame her for something that wasn't in her control.

"I will. As soon as I can put in some time without looking suspicious I will go visit you." Tony kissed Ziva on her temple. He was pissed at the situation, not her. He didn't want her thinking that he blamed her for any of this. He loved her and that was all that mattered.

**Sunday**

Morning past quickly, most of it was spent in bed, savoring the last moments together. But now they found themselves at the airport, Ziva was checked in and her bags were now being transported to the plane. They were at the last stop that Tony could take with her, airport security. Hugging one another, tears in their eyes and an aching in their heart, neither wanted to let go. Ziva was trying to be the strong one for both of them; she tried to allow the hug for as long as possible, but she needed to go. It takes all of her force to tear from the hug and when she does she already misses him. "Ani ohevet otkhh," she mumbles against his lips.

"Ani ohev otakh," he responds, his voice breaking. He doesn't want to see her go and he knows that she doesn't want to go either. The hesitation is evident in her drawing out the goodbyes. She's not ready to say goodbye, not without him promising to visit soon. It's all she asks of him. "I will visit soon I promise." His promise is sincere and he doesn't say it because it's what she wants to hear. It's a promise to himself to visit his wife as well. They both need it and they can no longer wait three months between visitations. "Call me when you land, okay? I want to make sure you made it home safe." Home, he had said. He wishes that home was with him and not in Israel thousands of miles away.

"I will, I love you." She said once again, pulling from his embrace and picking up her luggage. It's never easy saying goodbye to him. It takes so much discipline to make herself walk away from. She tries not to glance back, because she knows if she does she just might stay, but she can't. As much as she wishes she could, she knows she can't. With a final kiss and goodbye she walks towards security, stopping just before she walks through. She manages a smile through her tears, whispering a final I love you, before disappearing through the crowd of people.

"I love you," Tony whispers, but the words are lost in the air. Tears stream down his face as he watches his wife disappear through the crowd of people. It's the way she's upset about this as well, how much it's hurting her that makes him break down. He wishes he could have done something to keep her, take her pain away, but there isn't. Lonely and upset, he shoves his hands in his pockets as he makes his way back to his car, back to his lonely apartment to wait for his wife's phone call. That Tony thought was going to be the highlight of his day.


	3. 2X23, Twilight

**I am really grateful for all the love you guys are showing this story! I am sorry that I have not gotten back to answering your reviews, but I will get right on that. Hopefully you accept this chapter as an apology? Anyways this chapter is a direct continuation from last chapter after Tony leaves Ziva at the airport. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

Leaving Ziva at the airport had not been an easy thing for Tony to do. The moment she disappeared into the crowd, watching her walk away, he felt like his heart was breaking into a million pieces. He so desperately wanted to flash his badge to get through security and run after her. Beg her to not get on that plane and he knew that if he tried hard enough she would stay, but he knew it needed to be this way for just a little while longer. Frustrated at their current situation, Tony punched the steering wheel. He was angry, pissed that he couldn't have his wife and sure maybe he sounded a bit selfish, but he just really missed her. But he couldn't be mad at Ziva because this wasn't her fault. He knew that she didn't want to leave either, that she would have much rather preferred to stay with him. But that wasn't possible, because one man stood in their way and that one man was powerful enough to make it so that neither ever saw each other again. So it left no other choice, but to wait it out until it was safe for both of them to live together as they should be, as husband and wife.

Tony found himself driving around town with no certain destination in mind. He couldn't go to the gym, nor call up his buddies for a game of basketball because he wasn't in any condition to be physical activities. But he just couldn't bear to go back to his lonely apartment. He needed someone to talk to, but his options were limited, seeing as only a handful of people knew about his marriage to Ziva. In an act of desperation Tony pulled out his cellphone and dialed a familiar number. "Hello," the familiar voice answered.

"Hey Paul, its Tony. I was wondering if you had time for a cup of coffee." Tony tried to focus on his driving, but all he could think back to was Ziva's face, the tears streaming down both their faces and finally her disappearing into the crowd. His heart ached and if it was physically possible he knew that it would break in half. Tony just couldn't keep doing this, he wouldn't be able to handle another goodbye.

Hearing the desperation in his friend's voice Paul knew it was something serious. Tony rarely called him for a cup of coffee, but when he did, it was always to discuss difficult matters. He had known Tony long enough to know when something was up. "Yeah, I just got off for my lunch break. Meet you at the café around the corner from my office?"

"Yeah see you in ten and thanks Paul." It was times like these that Tony was glad that he had Paul. He had been his best friend since kindergarten and they'd been like bothers ever since. He knew his and Ziva's situation as well as some of his other buddies, but Tony always trusted him more with these types of things. Paul had always been like a brother to him and the other guys, sure they were family, but it wasn't the same. Some he'd met recently, others in college, but Paul, Paul had been his friend since that first day of kindergarten.

"Anytime," With that both hung up the phone.

True to his word Tony arrived at the café, they usually met at, ten minutes later. Paul was already waiting at a table when Tony had arrived, keeping an eye at the entrance. When they finally spotted each other, Tony waved to get Paul's attention. He stood from his chair giving Tony a brotherly hug, taking in his torn appearance. "How are you?" Already expecting the answer Tony would give, but hoping the outcome would be another.

"I'm good." Tony lied. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all. What if he broke down in public and made a scene. He wasn't one to cry, but the way he was feeling Tony didn't know what would happen.

"Come on Tony, I've know you long enough to know when you are lying. Now tell me what's going on." Paul encouraged Tony to sit down as he called over a waiter, ordering two cups of coffee.

Tony sighed, not really sure if he wanted to do this or not. But he knew that these sessions with Paul really helped out. He always felt better after getting everything off his chest. "Well where do I start." Tony thought about this for a moment before continuing. "Last week, I got the plague from a crazy mother out for revenge, I was dying and had a nurse call Ziva. She showed up the next morning and promised to stay for the two weeks I'm supposed to take off, but yesterday her father called. He wanted to see her in the office Monday morning." Tony took a breath, before continuing. "So that's where I just came from, dropping her off at the airport. You know one might think it gets easier to say goodbye, but let me tell you it only gets harder. I don't want to keep saying goodbye, Paul. I want her to stay, is that too much to ask?" Tony let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand down his face to try and keep the tears at bay.

"It's not. Ziva's your wife and you should be able to live with her. But no one ever said marriage was easy and if you and Ziva make it through it this and I'm certain you will, then this will only make your marriage stronger. Just don't get discouraged and most certainly don't blame this on her. This is neither of your faults." Tony nodded, he knew of all this and that's what got him through most days, but that didn't mean he didn't have to like it. "And you know, Soph and I are always here for you if you need anything. You know that."

"I know and I appreciate that, but at this point I just really need Ziva." Tony took a sip of his coffee, feeling as the hot liquid ran down his throat. The moment was filled with an awkward silence and Paul really didn't know what he could tell Tony to make him feel better. He wasn't in his situation thankfully, his wife was with him and he couldn't even begin to imagine how horrible it must be for them. Tony's situation only made Paul appreciate what he had with his wife that much more. "So, how's Sophie?" Now that Tony had gotten everything off his chest, he needed a change in topic. He wanted to clear his head and not think about Ziva right now. It was just too painful.

"She's good. I uh…. was going to wait to tell you this, but seeing as you could use some cheering up I might as well." Tony nodded, urging him to continue. He would take anything that would distract from the events of this morning. "Well Soph's pregnant. Found out yesterday, she's five weeks along."

"Congratulations man. I'm really happy for the both of you." Tony tried to give him the best smile that he could manage, but secretly he was jealous of his friend. He had the woman he loved close to him and now they were expecting a baby. Of course it was too early in their marriage to start thinking about children and Tony was almost certain that they didn't want any, but still he couldn't help feel a bit jealous.

Tony looked down at his watch, finding himself in an awkward position. "Uh well I better get going I don't want to keep you from your job." Tony pulled out a couple of bills to pay for the cups of coffee. "Thanks for your help, I appreciate it and tell Soph I said congratulations." Tony forced a smile, shoving his hands into his pockets and walked out of the café, not waiting for a reply. He walked to his car and drove home.

**NCIS**

The following morning Tony tried to stay home and rest like the doctor had ordered, but as he tried to focus on Casa Blanca, one of his favorite classic movies, he couldn't help but keep thinking back to Ziva. How if her damn father had never called, she'd be cuddled up to him on the couch, watching the movie with him. Just those thought made him realize that there was no way that he would be able to stay home for an entire week without losing his sanity. So in need of a distraction Tony thought it might be best if he just went back to work early, even if he still felt a bit like crap. So there he was, in the elevator two hours after starting time, exhausted, with his boss. "You sure you up for this?" Gibbs spoke up breaking the awkward silence that lingered between them.

"Never felt better," Tony replied cynically.

"Yeah?" Gibbs raised an eyebrow at Tony; he didn't believe his senior field agent. His gut was telling him otherwise, but over the years he learned that he would never get anything out of him if he kept pushing DiNozzo. If anything he would revert more, hiding his true emotions.

"Yeah," Tony replied a frustrated look on his face. He just wanted to work, have a distraction from his thoughts, without constantly being asked if he was okay. Clearly he wasn't and asking him didn't make matters any better, it made it worse because it would make him think back to what had him in this mood.

"You look like crap," Gibbs knew that Tony wasn't fully recovered just by looking at him, but he knew Tony. He knew how much he hated coming to work, so if he was here it must have been for a hell of a reason. A reason he clearly didn't want to talk about, so one not usually to pry unless it affected his agents performance, he dropped the matter and welcomed his agent back.

"I missed you too boss."

Gibbs tried once more to convince his agent to take the week he had left, but Tony wouldn't budge. He used many excuses for why he wanted to come back; he was bored out of his mind and even tried to say that the team needed him. But never did he once mention that he needed the team. He couldn't bear to be at home, alone in that apartment where all he could think about was Ziva and what they could be doing if she hadn't needed to leave.

Then typical DiNozzo always wanting to play jokes on others to hide his true emotions, hid behind his boss, crouching into the bullpen and composing himself to put on that jokester mask he wore at work. "I can't wait to see their faces." He giggled like a child, making his way over to his coworkers to say hello, but they ignored him and continued on with their work as they were pissed at him for what he had been saying behind their backs. They all continued on ignoring Tony, walking past him and working on a case, acting as if he wasn't there. He even wondered if he really had died. The boss received a call, telling his team to gear up and slapping Tony on the back of his head, to make him see reason, before rushing out towards the elevator.

At the crime scene Tony was off to a rough start, he had tripped and stumbled down the edge of cliff making his way to his boss. Kate had also punched him and pinned him to the ground when she discovered that Tony had been lying about a poisonous snake, which had turned out to be a garden snake. Thankfully because of that, Tony had discovered that the car was wired. On impulse he jumped up, taking the key from McGee's hand, keeping it from turning and exploding on them. He told McGee and Kate to run while he stayed behind, all the while making sure he didn't turn the key and kill them all. What the hell had he been thinking? He hadn't been thinking that had been the problem. All he had been thinking about all damn day was Ziva. He wasn't focused, still recovering and therefore wasn't thinking clearly. He was now regretting not taking that extra week, but before he knew it he released his hold on the key and took off running, barely making it past the explosion. He literally crawled his way back up that mountain, regretting his decision of coming into work that morning, collapsing just as he reached his team.

When they returned to NCIS Kate insisted that Ducky check him out to make sure everything was in order. Ducky told him his blood pressure was a little high and as he made his way of the table he groaned, instantly becoming aware of how sore his body was. Ducky told him to take it easy and Tony like always, brushed it off. Frustrated with DiNozzo, Kate insisted that she should just take him home and put him in bed. As much as he would have liked to make fun of Kate for saying something like that, his face suddenly turned serious as images of Ziva from this week flashed through his mind, but the sound of his boss's voice reminded him where he was and he pulled up his mask once again.

**NCIS**

Gibbs had ordered Tony to rest, so he made up a little bed behind his desk to lie down as McGee and Kate continued on with the case. But the dynamic duo didn't allow Tony to partake in his rest, as they had a planned prank for the senior field agent. McGee asked Tony if anything was going on between he and Kate. That question made Tony almost choke on his own spit. He realized it was only a natural question for McGee ask as he did act as the playboy, always hitting on the ladies. Tony wanted to play along with McGee, but he felt that if he told him yes or maybe he was betraying Ziva in a way and he loved her too much to even have a pretend romance. Even if it was to keep a secret, so instead he opted for another approach. "Kate and I are just coworkers." Tony replied.

McGee insisted that Kate's feeling towards him were more than that of just coworkers. Tony didn't believe him, so McGee approached Kate's desk as she made her way into the squad room. She confessed a pretend love as she walked to Tony's desk, who was unaware that Kate knew he was lying there. Taking out her water bottle, she poured it over Tony and he jumped, squealing like a little girl. Gibbs walked in and yelled at Tony for not resting like he had been ordered. Not in the mood to argue, Tony sighed and headed down to Abby' lab to find some place to rest, but that didn't last for long seeing as Abby had found something that required their immediate attention.

**NCIS**

The pieces were finally starting to fall into place and they all came to the conclusion that somebody really was trying to kill them. Gibbs had left them to do some investigation, but that was shortly interrupted when Agent Fornell from the FBI stepped foot into the bullpen, demanding to speak with Gibbs. The words that he spoke next surprised Tony. "Ari Haswari is back in the country." _Crap_, Tony thought. _What the hell was Ziva's brother doing back in the country? Did Ziva know about this? _This was definitely going to complicate his duty to NCIS and the duty to his wife. It was important that he try to separate his personal life from his work life, at this moment he needed to be on his game to keep them all from getting killed. Someone was after Gibbs and it was his job to protect the team.

Morning came quickly after spending the night at the Navy Yard and they were back to work to find who was responsible for the murder of two Navy lieutenant pilots. As the case progressed, they evidence linked the murders to Ari. This worried Tony, if Ari really were responsible for everything that FBI said, then there was no way that he would get out of this. How was he supposed to explain this to his wife? How would Eli react? Was the question that bothered Tony most because this would affect the relationship NCIS had with Mossad and most definitely making him hate Tony. Neither was going to believe that him that Ari was a terrorist, they were sure to take his side.

As soon as the team had received intel on Ari's location they rushed after him to keep him from blowing up the navy vessel. It was a race against time as they tried to stop Ari, but as the clock ticked Tony became more and more frustrated as Ari was looking guiltier. How was he supposed to explain all of this to Ziva and make her understand that it wasn't his fault? She would surely blame him and plead her brother's innocence. He didn't have it in him to tell her, that her brother, the one that protected them, cared for them, read them bedtime stories, slept with them when they were scared, was a terrorist.

Tony couldn't afford to think like that right now. He needed to be on his game, needed to pay attention to his surroundings. He had a team that needed his protection, so there was no room for his emotions or for error. Right now he needed to forget about all the pain he was in, he needed to clear Ziva from his mind and he needed to forget that Ari was his brother-in-law, because when the time came to stop him, that couldn't be what Ari was to him.

Kate, Tony and Gibbs headed up to the rooftop were the drones were being controlled from, while McGee stayed down to manually override it. When they reached the rooftop, there was no sight of Ari. They cleared the rooftop, rushing to the control center. They deactivated that with McGee's help, but as they were snooping around, Kate yelled 'bullet' and jumped in front of Gibbs. Tony and Gibbs rushed to make sure she was okay and they were relieved to find that she was. Thankfully her vest had stopped the bullet.

As they helped her up, Tony joked about if Kate would be going to pilates in the morning. He'd also told her she had done a good job and Gibbs agreed. She was at a disbelief thinking she'd die before she heard those words and that's when it happened. Blood gushing everywhere, spraying on Tony as Kate's body dropped on the rooftop. She'd been shot on the forehead and both men were certain of Kate's killer as Gibbs looked around in search of Ari's location. It had to be him; there was no one else that wanted the members of Gibbs' team dead as much as Ari.

Tony couldn't stick around and watch as Ducky and Palmer loaded Kate up into the body bag and into the truck. He couldn't handle watching his partner, his friend, younger sister, whom had risked her life for their boss, be loaded up. He rushed off the rooftop and drove to his apartment. He needed to see Ziva; maybe she would help him calm down. He was furious as he sped through the streets of DC to get to his apartment. Tears were streaming down his face and it was becoming more difficult to see. He didn't care; he was just so frustrated Tony hit the gas more. Why was his life so unfair? Nothing seemed to be going his way. First his wife had left and now Kate had been killed. Was this some kind of punishment for the things he had done in the past? He reached his apartment immediately, pulling out his phone and texting Ziva. He didn't care that it was close to midnight in Tel Aviv, he just really needed to speak with his wife. _Zi, I know it's late but I really need you to get on video chat. It's important. _

The text had obviously worried Ziva because not even five minutes later there was a video request on his computer. He accepted the video call, bringing the laptop with him to the living room. "Tony, are you okay?" She asked, the worry evident in her voice.

The emotions Tony displayed were doing nothing to calm her worries. There were dark circles around his eyes; sadness, frustration, and anger were shown in his eyes and all this worried Ziva. She didn't know what had happened to put him in this kind of mood. She knew that saying goodbye at the airport had been tough, but she knew that it wasn't enough to cause to be like this. Was it? "No, no I'm not Zi. Kate.." Dammit the tears would just not stop. He wasn't able to keep them at bay like he wanted them to, but he didn't have the willpower nor the strength to hid how he was feeling. "Kate uh, she was shot today."

"I am sorry Tony. I know that she was like a sister to you." Ziva wished that she were at her husband's side, to comfort him. But unfortunately she was stuck in another country and the only thing she could offer him was her words, words that would not form. She didn't know what to she could say to make Tony feel better. They were both aware that death was part of the job.

"She's gone Ziva. She's gone. She isn't going to be coming back. We aren't going to be able to mess with McGee anymore. I can't believe she's gone." Tony sobbed into his hands. Ziva would have done anything to be there, to comfort him. But she couldn't and the best thing she could give him at the moment was to let everything out.

"I know it is hard to lose someone you care about ahava, but you must be strong. The best thing you can do now is find her killer and bring justice to her." Ziva had no clue what she was saying when she was speaking of Kate's killer, which brought Tony out of his trance and caused him to freeze.

Tony sighed through the tears; he didn't know how he would break the next part to Ziva. He didn't want to tell her, as he didn't want any conflict between them. He needed his wife to be his rock, to tell him everything is going to be okay. That they are going to be okay. If he told her about Ari then she would be angry with him and he didn't want that, but then if she didn't tell him and she found out from someone else she would still be angry with him. "Well there is one more thing that I have to tell you. But I uh… don't quite know how." Tony took a breath at Ziva's curious gaze. "It seems that Ari is behind all of this and our boss won't stop until Ari is dead." Tony was torn, on the one side he hated Ari for what he had done to the team and Kate, but on the other hand he had known Ari since he was six and was like a brother to him.

Ziva tensed, but her face turned serious and raged burned in her eyes. "I won't believe it Tony, Ari couldn't have done it. He's not capable of doing something like that. He wouldn't." Ziva pleaded for her brother.

"I know Zi. I'm very conflicted, you know Ari's like my brother and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but if all the evidence points to him you know I won't look the other way. I can't. " Tony ran a hand down his face; the day couldn't get any worse. He just wished Ziva was here with him, then he wouldn't have gone into work and have to deal with all of this or at the least not alone.

"Just make sure you are very positive before you blame everything on Ari, ahava. Abba has been making the same claims, but I just cannot believe that Ari would be capable of something like that. That's not the Ari I know." She understood the claims that were being made against her brother because she had heard her father talking about the same ones, but she just wouldn't believe that the brother she had grown up with would be capable of doing something like that. She would protect her brother at all cost, but she also understood the position that Tony was in. While she was growing up and even now her father always said that one needed to what ever was necessarily, regardless if the person was family.

"I will Zi. I will do everything to find out the truth."

"Thank you." Ziva sighed. "I miss you."

"I miss you too. I wish you could have stayed and maybe I wouldn't have been stupid enough to go to work." Tony leaned against the couch, finally allowing his body some rest after two days of work. He had just launched his still recovering body into something that he wasn't ready for.

Sudden realization hit Ziva. "You went to work?" She raised an eye at him, glaring at him intently the telltale sign that he was in trouble. "Tony you know that you were not to supposed to. You needed to stay home and rest."

"I tried that Zi. I really did, but I just couldn't handle staying home, not when you weren't here." Ziva nodded she understood, her missions and work were the only things that got her through the day. "I talked to Paul after I dropped you off at the airport and he told me they're expecting." Tony tried to muster up a smile, but he just couldn't. Not with Kate dead and Ziva gone. He thought maybe telling Ziva the news with help with his mood, but it hadn't.

"I am happy for them. Hopefully, I will get to congratulate them in person." She mustered up a smile enjoying the time she got to speak with her husband.

Tony noticed Ziva yawn and he looked down at his watch; it was past midnight for her. "I'm sorry Zi. I'm keeping you from sleeping. Ill let you go." He didn't want to, but he also knew that she was supposed to check in at mossad at 0500.

"It is no problem. You know that I will help you with whatever you need regardless of the hour." Ziva rose quickly, rushing to the kitchen to get the kettle off the stove. She had assumed when she received Tony's text that she would be needing tea and she had been correct.

Tony smiled weakly when she returned. He'd noticed that she was wearing his OSU shirt with some cotton shorts. The sight made him chuckle for the first time all day. "I see you are the culprit for my t-shirts disappearing." He really didn't mind that she wore his clothes. He thought she looked smoking hot in them.

Ziva smiled guilty; feeling ridiculous about what she was about to admit. "It still smells like you," she shrugged, "and it is like you are here with me." Ziva shrugged, not really wanting to make a big deal about it.

"They look better on you anyways." Tony shrugged.

Ziva knew that Tony needed a distraction from the events of the day. Ziva began to tell Tony about a new book she had read that led to spending the next couple of hours talking about nothing and everything. They reminisced on childhood memories of him, Tali, Ari and Ziva of when Tony's dad would take him on his business trips to Israel and leave him with the David's. Ari and Tony would team up against Ziva and Tali and chase them through the olive groves and then play cops and robbers with them. How the girls would make the boys dress up for tea parties and be the servers to the girls. The past memories led them to talk about the future. All the things they had to look forward to. Finally around 0300 Israel time Ziva had to give her goodbyes because she needed to get ready for her day. Both were glad that they were able to forget about their surroundings, in their own little bubble, even if it was just for a little while. As Tony shut his computer he felt as though maybe everything would be okay between them. Tonight's conversation with Ziva had reassured him that maybe their love would prevail above everything else.

**If you enjoyed please review!**


	4. 3X1, Kill Ari(Part I)

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

The ringing of a phone is what woke the mossad officer. Today was meant to be her day off; therefore she was planning to ignore all forms of contact with the outside world. She brought the pillow over her head, picking up on Tony's bad habits, and ignored her phone. The caller would eventually give up and stop calling, but unlike what Ziva thought the phone continued to ring, demanding attention from its owner. With a frustrated groan Ziva turned to look at the time 0300. Only one person called her in the middle of the night, Tony. After last night she wouldn't doubt it that he would be calling her again. He'd had a rough day and it was always harder when they weren't together. Quickly she picked up the phone before he could hang up. For him she would always be available. "David," she answered groggily. The voice she was expecting was not the one to respond; instead it was her father's.

The conversation did not last but mere minutes and with a final "shalom abba," she ended the call. Slamming the phone shut and throwing it against the nightstand, Ziva laid back down. This was supposed to be her day off, what the hell did her father want with her at his office at this hour. He'd mentioned that he needed to see her, but had not mentioned any specifications on the matter. But by the tone her father used with her, more director than father, she was sure it was in relation to an assignment. With one last groan, she walked in to her bathroom.

**NCIS**

It was not long before officer David was storming in to her father's office. It wasn't a surprise to her that there were already people in the building ready to start the day. Work started early in mossad and many liked to arrive earlier than they were meant to, those were the ones that sucked up to the director. She mumbled her greetings to those she passed by on her way up to her father's office. His assistant was already there, unfortunately for Ziva, and like always she liked to make her life hell by not allowing her in, but Ziva didn't care. Her father had woken her in the middle of the night on her supposed day off; she was pissed and didn't care about the rules. She stormed in like usual, his assistant screaming after her, but Ziva tuned her out. Storming in Ziva was fuming, "what is so important father, that you saw the need to wake me on my day off?"

Eli suspected that he would receive Ziva in this mood; there was no other when it came to dealing with her. Taking a deep breath, so not to make matters worse, he urged his daughter to sit. Of course she refused, wanting to end this conversation as quickly as possible. The less time she spent with him the better. Eli understood and went straight to the point. "Your brother Ari, he is being accused of terrorism and killing an NCIS agent. I am assigning you to be his control officer." Ziva was about to protest, but her father stopped her. "I need the best of the best on this Ziva and that is you. Ari is out of hand. He has betrayed many, including mossad. Your job is to go to America and stop him, no matter the cost. Is that understood?"

Ziva nodded. But she didn't understand, not really. Ari was her brother, her father's only son, and he wanted the only daughter he had left to kill her only brother. How could a father condone something like that? Although she had agreed, she didn't want to take this mission. She unlike the rest of the world believed in her brother's innocence, but as much as she believed that, there were still others that didn't and she did not want to be the one to have to end him. That meant end everything they had once had as brother and sister. There was also the reason that this mission was in America, dealing with NCIS, dealing with Tony and as much as she wanted to see him, she didn't want her mission to put a strain on their relationship. Both her father and NCIS were fighting to kill Ari, while she was fighting to protect him. Ziva only hoped that Tony would understand why, just like she had told Tony in their conversation the other day. He too had grown up with them and had known the kind of brother he was. There was so many reasons why Ziva didn't want to accept this assignment, but she accepted nonetheless because like her father had said, she was the best and she didn't trust anyone else to look after her brother. She believed with every fiber of her being that her brother was innocent and she would go there to prove it. She would convince this so called Gibbs person that Ari did not kill their beloved Kate.

"Very well, your flight to America leaves at 0600." Eli handed her a manila folder, containing all the details of Gibbs's team. She was to memorize this and anything else regarding what Ari was being accused of, wrongfully she might add. She could skip over Tony's history, that one she knew well. "Memorize this. In here is everything that you need to know." Ziva nodded, tucking the manila folder under her arm. "Contact me as soon as you land and are settled in. I will give you more orders. Is that clear?" Ziva nodded. Over the years she'd understood that it was easier to just do as her father pleased, than to go against his wishes. That also factored in with the fact that she didn't have the courage to stand up to her father, regardless of what everyone thought of her. "Now give your father a kiss."

Ziva walked behind her father's desk hesitantly, placing a peck to her father's cheek. "Shalom, abba." With no other words exchanged of be safe, I wish you well or any other of the fatherly things a father tells their daughter, she walked out, not bothering to glance behind her.

**NCIS**

The image of Kate's lifeless body falling on the rooftop, Ari arrogantly smirking in triumphant and watching his wife leave as she choose mossad over him was haunting his nightmares. The last was enough to cause him to wake in a cold sweat. He screamed, "don't go!" to a nonexistent Ziva. Breathing heavily, he glanced around his room frantically searching for Ziva, but she was nowhere to be found. It took him a couple of seconds to recuperate, but he finally recognized where he was, alone in his bedroom. Ziva had left him, but not by choice. They had talked the following night and things were okay with him, but it seemed that his subconscious believed otherwise. That something horrible was to be bring them apart, never to be with one another. Now settled, Tony turned to look at the clock he kept on his nightstand. It was like time was mocking him, the clock read 0400. He was exhausted, that much was evident, but there was no way that after a nightmare like that he would be able to fall back to sleep. He didn't want to risk dreaming about that again, so instead he climbed out of bed and decided that a workout would help. Running a hand down his face in frustration, Tony grabbed his NCIS gym bag, quickly changed and headed out the door.

When Tony arrived to the Navy Yard, it was mostly empty, except for the cleaning crew, security and a couple of overachievers, as Tony liked to call those who arrived early to work. With a quick display of his badge, walk through security; Tony made his way down to the gym. He headed straight for the treadmill. He'd started at a slow pace, testing out the condition at which his lungs were in. As much as he wanted to run at full sped, he knew that he needed to take care of his lungs. Plugging in his headphones, he set the treadmill at a sped of 2, leaving his problems behind, metaphorically speaking. Tony concentrated on his breathing, reteaching his lungs how to take a deep breath, leaving him with no space for his thoughts. They were dangerous at the moment and if he wasn't careful, they would drive him insane. Kate's death, the fact that Ari was her possible killer, but yet he was still family and the question of how this would all affect him and Ziva were constant thoughts that clouded Tony's mind.

Tony ran until his lungs were burning, begging for more oxygen. He slowed the treadmill down, allowing his body to return to its normal rate, before heading to the weights. The run had helped somewhat, but the thoughts were still there. If this workout didn't help to clear his mind, then at least he knew he would be in shape. Tony proceeded with the weights, working out the last of his tension and frustration that had accumulated over the last week. It had all been too hard on his recovering body. He worked until his muscles were pleading him to rest. Content with his work out Tony headed to get ready for the day. He took a quick hot shower, helping to relax his tense body and releasing everything he needed to, before having to put on his playboy and class clown act. Besides that, Tony needed to be the strong one, the one keeping everyone else from falling apart, especially Abby. It always all came down to him, to be the glue that kept everyone together, but who would be strong for him? The only person that could was million miles away.

**NCIS**

Never had Ziva felt her flight to be so long. She was tense and nervous the entire way. She'd tried to distract her mind by reading a magazine, something she had picked up at the airport shop. It was one Tony often read, when he thought she wasn't watching, so she thought she would see what all the fuss was about. But her thoughts were daunting, always at the forefront of her mind. It didn't help that she had memorized all the details of each member of the team, especially Kate's. It kept bringing her back to her brother, Tony and how broken he had been because of her death. She'd tried to skip over her information, but it was needed. She'd planned to skip Tony's, but regardless she found herself reading the information over and over again. It was calming, to think about Tony, but then the thoughts of why she was on her way to D.C. crept in. It didn't help to think that in less than two hours she would be heading to NCIS to convince Special Agent Gibbs that Ari was innocent, but that wasn't what she was worried about, that part she could handle. The part that had her on edge the entire flight was seeing Tony. Of course, it would be inevitable to see him and she wasn't even sure she wanted to avoid him. See longed to see him, but not under these circumstances. He didn't know she was coming, it was better this way or so she thought. How would he react when he saw her? What would he say when he found out the reason for her visit? Would he be angry that she had not notified him? If he really loved her, the way he said he did, she hoped that would be enough for him to forgive her, but even love had limitations. All these thoughts were too much and in an attempt to clear her mind before her arrival, Ziva pulled out her Hebrew copy of Les Misérable.

It seemed that the book had helped because Ziva was surprised to hear the pilot announce their descend into the airport. She was no longer on edge, a little nervous, but not on edge. Maybe she could get through this and maybe just maybe her and Tony would be okay at the end.

With nothing but her backpack, Ziva was able to miss the crowd of people, as they all had gathered around the gates to pick up their luggage. There was hardly anyone at customs and before she knew it she was hailing a cab outside of the airport. Once inside the cab and certain of her destination to NCIS, Ziva called her father. He for once seemed pleased. Further instructions from her father were discussed, before ending the call. Due to privacy reasons the call was in Hebrew and all the while the cab driver kept eyeing Ziva wearily through the rearview mirror. She'd caught him once, but choose to ignore him, she had bigger problems to deal with.

**NCIS**

Tony spent his morning catching up on case files. He was so engrossed; he worked through the arrival of Gibbs and McGee. On their way in they stared at Tony, waiting for him to notice their presence, but he never did. As the day proceeded they continued with their current case of linking Ari to the sniper that had killed Kate. Tony in an effort to distract his mind, stayed on top of everything. He needed all the facts. He had promised Ziva that he would check every angle, make sure that Ari was guilty before accusing him. With that he'd found something useful, informing his boss. Gibbs noticed that Tony wasn't in the right mindset and instead ordered McGee to go with him, leaving Tony alone in the squad room with nothing but his thoughts.

In an effort not to think about Ari or Ziva, Tony leaned against his desk, head resting on his elbows and started thinking of Kate, somehow or another that lead to him imagining Kate in a catholic schoolgirl costume. That image of Kate somehow turned into an image of Ziva in that outfit, her skirt rising, displaying her lace panties. "Sometimes I picture you naked." He smirked.

Consumed in the fantasy that started off with Kate and then merged into his wife, Tony didn't hear the elevator's famous ding and much less someone approaching the squad room. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a figure standing near his desk. Afraid at being caught, he turned his head slightly. His eyes widened at the figure before him. Was he still imagining things or was his favorite Israeli really standing before him. Regardless or not he hit the dial on his desk phone, pretending he was on a call. "I'll call you back." He lied nervously. He turned his attention back to his wife, gulping at the sight of her. "Hi," he said through a breath.

Ziva smirked seductively as she noticed Tony couldn't keep her eyes off of her. He was staring like she was wearing something sexy, when in fact her hair was down and wilder than ever. That was why she had worn her purple scarf, her typical cargo pants, white shirt and her favorite go to brownish-green jacket, all standard mission comfortable clothing. Ziva approached his desk a warning gaze, asking for an explanation of his previous comment. "I was just…" he said as he leaned back in his chair, arms falling behind his head.

She continued to walk closer to his desk, glancing around the squad room. _So this is where he worked?_ There was so much she didn't know about Tony, work wise. It was interesting now to see it all first hand. "Having phone sex," it was more of an accusation than a question.

He giggled nervously. "Phone sex, no" he scoffed. _There is only one person I have phone sex with,_ he though, eyeing her with elevator eyes. "Uh charades," he lied, but he knew that she wasn't buying it. She could see right through him, staring at him suspiciously. Crap, he was just making it worse by lying.

"Charades?" Ziva nodded taking in what her husband was telling her. She knew her husband like the back of her hand. She knew when he was lying and right now he was doing a horrible job at trying to cover up the fact that indeed he was. "Like uh," she pretended to roll a camera film.

"You've played?" Tony questioned, but all the while he was thinking what the hell was she doing here. He couldn't very well ask her. There were others around, prying agents and he wasn't supposed to have already met her.

"Never on the telephone." She continued to walk along side his desk, wondering what his next move was going to be. The moment she saw him, she'd wanted to kiss him, tell him how much she loved him, but that was risky. They were at his work, where no one was to know of their marriage. Even if they were alone in the squad room, there were other agents around. Agents that loved to gossip, especially about one Anthony DiNozzo. They couldn't risk anything, so instead they had fallen into an act of their own. Playing two people who were just meeting each other for the first time.

"My partner and I were just trying to come up with quotes for Saturday night." Tony shrugged, but when Ziva stared at him he knew he had messed up. He should have said any night, but Saturday night. They were keeping up appearances for the prying, gossiping agents surrounding them, but he was also trying to distract Ziva from his comment earlier. Apparently it wasn't working. What he would have given at that moment to just kiss her. That always seemed to work in his favor.

"You play charades on Saturday night?" Her eyebrow rose, she was definitely not buying this. Maybe if Tony had used any other night of the week she would have dropped the subject, but he had gone with Saturday. That's when she confirmed he was lying because Saturday was their movie days. Around two, Tony's time, they would video call each other as they both sat down to watch the same movie. It was very lame of them, that's why Tony would never tell anyone about it, especially since it would ruin his reputation, but he cherished those moments.

The lie was already out there, so Tony thought he might as well continue it. In the office he was known to flirt with every female, especially the new ones, so he might as well stick with trying to impress Ziva. "To kill time before I go clubbing." Ziva wanted to laugh at his comment, the Tony DiNozzo she knew didn't go clubbing Saturday nights. Maybe during his college days he did, but even if he didn't, once he said I do, most Saturday were spent video chatting with her.

Tony definitely needed to move the topic of conversation off of him. He felt ridiculous having to ask the next question, but it needed to be asked. "And who are you?" When they'd first started dating, Tony had joked how it would be funny if they ever ran into each other at work. After that it had worried Ziva, especially since she was not able to talk about her missions and no one was to be aware that they knew each other, so she'd come up with a type of signal. That way if it were ever to happen and they were being kept tabs on and couldn't talk; they would be able to tell if the she was working or not. It was simple he was supposed to ask who she was, that way the secret off knowing each other was safe, if she responded with her full name she was on work terms and Tony knew not to ask any more questions, but if she responded with her first name then they were safe.

Serious now because she knew she would disappoint him with the answer she would give, she pulled out her credentials and displayed it in front of him. "Ziva David, mossad." Frustration lacing her voice, she didn't want to be here on business.

Tony nodded, showing her he understood. He could tell she was upset, but he couldn't do much. He wished he could comfort her, but instead he had to keep his distance. So, to help her mood Tony decided to try and cheer her up, keeping their act up of course. "You're Israeli?" He asked sarcastically.

Ziva chuckled. She knew what Tony was doing and she found that it was working, so she decided to play along. "Very good how you made that connection mossad, Israeli." She walked around the squad room, walking slowly and seductively for her husband's benefit.

"What can I do for you Ms. David?"

_Kiss me. _"Nothing, I am here to see special agent Gibbs." It was killing Ziva to act professional around him, to keep up this act. When all she wanted to do was kiss him, throw him against his desk and press her lips to his.

Tony saw the desire in her eyes; she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. The longing to kiss her, be near her, have her close. "How do you know I'm not Gibbs?"

Ziva laughed. The answer was obvious, but she went along regardless. She walked over to a desk, sitting in the chair in a provocative manner. She was determined to mess with Tony, make him pay for his comment earlier on. "Gibbs?" She questioned, furrowing her brows, but let out a laugh. From what she had read in her files, there was no way Tony could ever pretend to be him. Her husband and Gibbs were not similar in any way shape or form. They were complete opposites.

"He'll be back in an hour. You sure I can't help you?" Frustration laced his voice at not being able to speak with his wife properly.

Ziva shrugged her shoulder, a smirk forming on the edge of her lips. She brought her left hand to rest on the chair's armrest. "I don't think so." Helping her would only make matters worse and blow their cover. They obviously had no self-control to risk being next to each other.

Tony turned in his chair a bit, a loud sigh escaping from him. Ziva too turned to look at him. Everything they had wanted to convey was said through that one gaze. How much they hated that at that moment they couldn't act like what they were, husband and wife, their love for one another, the worry of the mission and the relief that they were both together. All that was understood from just that one gaze. Giving in Tony rose from his chair, coming to stand in front of Ziva's chair, placing his hands on either sides of her chair. There faces were very close, if she moved her head forward their lips would be very close, close enough that she could chance kissing him, but she moved her gaze to his eyes. She tried to concentrate on his words and not his lips. The temptation was too great, his lips just inches away, but she tried harder to keep her gaze on his eyes, he too was having trouble concentrating because he stopped talking and moved away.

They both knew how much they wanted each other at the moment and the temptation was too much. Ziva couldn't help keep messing with Tony and she started to explain to him that what he'd down wasn't out of the ordinary, she left out of the part of especially if they were married, but continued explaining that woman pictured men naked as well. She looked him up and down with elevator eyes, smirking at the way Tony gulped. He tried to distract his thoughts about he and Ziva together by telling Ziva about Kate, but it didn't work for long. Ziva proceeded to take of her scarf, taking out her ponytail and allowing her black curls to fall just below her shoulders. When Ziva looked up she noticed Tony staring, just like he had been when she arrived. "She wasn't attractive?" Ziva asked him, pulling him out of his thoughts. From what she had read in the file and the picture it came with, Ziva had the impression that she was just the type that Tony liked and she couldn't help but wonder if maybe something had happened between them.

"She was, but not to me." Tony didn't even hesitate in his answer. Yes Kate was attractive, but he only had eyes for one Israeli assassin.

Ziva trusted her husband, but sometimes she wondered. From what his friends had mentioned from their college days, the period they had taken a break from each other, she knew that she wasn't necessarily the type Tony liked. So, often she wondered why he had picked her, why he had married her and with Kate it had been the same thing. They were here for more than eight hours a day, protecting each other. That built a strong bond and she always wondered if Tony would realize he was with the wrong woman and leave her for Kate or someone else. "Then why did you imagine her naked?" Ziva said. Her tone wasn't accusing, it was curious and a bit flirtatious.

Desperate to get off of this topic, especially since it was his wife he was talking to. He leaned forward on his desk. "Mrs. DiNozzo," he said in barely above a whisper, "the only person I picture naked is you, okay?" She nodded. The urge to kiss her was overwhelming, he wanted to prove to her that she was the only woman for him, but he couldn't.

"Ms. David, you can sit there and slouch provocatively for an hour if you like or you can tell me what you need." Tony knew that she was here on terms of Ari, but exactly what her mission was still undetermined and he needed to know.

Ziva figured now was a good time as any. He would find out eventually, he might as well hear it directly from her. "You can't help because," she got of the chair and walked over to the center of the squad room, "because I am here to stop special agent Gibbs from killing a mossad officer."

Ziva leaned over the desk as Tony leaned towards her. "Well I wish you luck because I want the bastard dead too." He hadn't meant that. They still weren't sure Ari was the sniper and he had promised not to point fingers until they were certain. Tony watched Ziva tense, he obviously had hurt her with that comment, but he hadn't meant it but for others ears. "Follow me," he whispered, moving from his chair and towards the elevator. They stepped in, Tony going to hit the emergency button. Ziva wouldn't look at Tony. He placed his finger under her chin, bringing her gaze to him. "Hey, I didn't mean that, but you know I can't very well go around saying that I don't want him dead. The team would get suspicious." He explained.

Ziva stepped a bit back. She didn't want to be close to Tony at the moment. "You could have not said anything at all." She argued, her chocolate brown irises turning a shade darker.

"I know I'm sorry. I got a bit carried away is all, but believe me I have been doing everything thing I can to try to give Ari the benefit of the doubt. I've been working more than the others trying to look at this from every angle, but he's looking guiltier and guiltier and I can't argue against my boss." Ziva nodded. She understood the awkward position he was in, but he still shouldn't have said something like that. "We okay?"

Ziva nodded. "We are okay. Just please do not say something like that again." Even if she understood Tony's position it did not mean he had to be an ass about it, Ari was her brother, he was Tony's brother in a sense as well and he needed to respect that.

"I promise. Now come here so that I can greet you properly." Tony held out his arms for Ziva.

Ziva walked into his arms, his lips crushing on hers immediately. The kiss was not meant to last long, but it had, neither wanting to pull apart. But the necessity for air became too much and they separated only their lips; the hold on each other remained intact. Tony tightened his hold around her as Ziva's head came to rest on his chest. "I am sorry Tony that I could not tell you that I was coming. I did not know until this morning or well last night for you. But I was hoping to speak with Gibbs before I had to see you."

"It's okay. I understand that missions can't be talked about. I'm glad you found me first, but I wish we could have skipped all of the charades and just gone straight to the kissing." He gave his DiNozzo smile and Ziva released a good-natured laugh. "But in all seriousness Zi, we both need to understand that when it comes down to it, we are both doing our job and neither of us could control Ari's decision regardless of what they were. In the end it's you and me."

"It will always be me and you." She kissed his neck softly. Tony had a point, if everything they were accusing of was deemed true then she couldn't hold that against Tony because like he said it was his decision. He wasn't thinking about them and in the end she'll always have Tony.

"Now tell me Mrs. DiNozzo what can I do for you?" She smirked at her.

"For starters, you can stop imagining your coworkers naked." Tony was about to protest that it wasn't Kate he had imagined naked, but Ziva stopped him placing a finger to his lips. "Secondly, I would like a kiss." Tony smiled, pulling Ziva's face to his, their lips melting against one another.

"Zi you don't ever have to worry about me picturing other women naked. You are the only woman for me, okay?"

"I better be." He swatted him on the arm playfully. Tony rubbed the spot pretending like it had hurt, earning him a chuckle from his wife for being such a baby. "I do not know how long I will be here, so I will be needing a place to stay."

Tony glared at her seriously. "You don't even need to ask. You know the apartment is yours too. That's why I gave you a key." She nodded, releasing a breath. Thankfully this whole Ari ordeal hadn't strained their relationship. She would need Tony's support. "Now lets get back before any one gets suspicious." He gave her one last kiss, but before he started the elevator once again he needed to clear something up. "Please don't take offense to anything I say while we are around others. I have a reputation to uphold." He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, hoping that comment wouldn't gain him a slap.

"I know, but you must also not take offense to what I say." She smirked.

"Deal," he kissed her one last time before starting the elevator back up again. This was sure to be an interesting one for the both them.

**NCIS**

Tony attempted working again after their conversation, but Ziva was a big distraction with all of her seductiveness. He just couldn't concentrate. His work wasn't nearly as interesting as Ziva. He was about to do something about it, tell her to meet him in the bathroom, but Gibbs walked in followed by a redhead.

Gibbs glared at Tony, signaling him to follow him over to his desk. Both wanted answers about who the other woman was. Tony followed Gibbs to his desk, while Ziva went to greet the director like they were long time friends. "Ziva David, Mossad. She's here to stop you from killing Ari." There was no point in lying to his boss now, he was sure to find out eventually.

"Jenny Shepard, Director. Same mission." Gibbs snarled, keeping an eye on the women.

Something fishy was going if both of them were here on the same mission. How did she know Ari? She had to be officiated with mossad some how. "What agency?"

"Ours," Gibbs answered quietly as they watched both women interact. Tony scoffed not believing him, but Gibbs glared at Tony and he shut up.

The woman finished with their greeting, returning to join the men. Ziva came to stand relatively close to Tony, but he moved over a little keeping a safe amount of distance between them. They all introduced each other to one another, exchanging pleasantries until Ziva's phone rang. She excused herself, leaving the rest standing in the squad room.

After her phone call, of which Gibbs assumed she was speaking with Ari, Gibbs took it upon himself to interrogate Ziva. He didn't trust this unruly, wild, mossad Israeli. Tony went to his desk, watching the exchange. There were several times when he wanted to jump in and defend his wife from the accusations that Gibbs was making, but he had to control himself. He wouldn't be able to defend her, not without giving anything away.

Thankfully Jenny stepped in, trying to calm Ziva and telling Gibbs that he needed substantial proof before taking action. Not liking the tone the director took with him, Gibbs stormed out of the squad room, Jenny trailing behind him.

This gave Tony and Ziva a moment alone. He placed a hand around Ziva's wrist stopping her before she rushed towards the elevator. "Zi, I'm so-"

Ziva cut off Tony. "You were not exaggerating when you said your boss was a tough man to work with."

"Now you understand why I don't want to piss him off, which you have clearly managed to do in record time." Now that she was looking at him once again he decided to try and apologize. "Zi, I'm sorry I couldn't defend you. You don't know how hard it was for me to just sit there and watch while my boss screamed at you."

Ziva placed a hand on her husband's cheek. "It is okay, but my priority right now is to prove Ari's innocence, convince your boss, and make sure that you and I are still okay at the end of this."

Tony checked to make sure that no one was watching, before he placed a gentle kiss on Ziva's cheek. "We will be. As long as we don't blame each other." Ziva nodded, but she still seemed a bit tenser than earlier. "Want some tea?" With everyone else preoccupied with other things, Tony wanted to spend more alone with his wife.

"That would be nice." Since no one was paying attention to the senior field agent and the Israeli, Tony allowed himself to take hold of her hand as they made their way towards the break room.

Tony cut their l break short, fearing that the boss would come looking for him and find them, hands intertwined, longing gazes, laughing and catching up like they knew each other. They would not be able to find a good enough explanation without having to tell him the truth and he didn't think that now would be a good time given the situation. Right after, Ziva had gone up to see the director and Tony had stayed to wait for his boss. He stormed into the squad room, ordering Tony to follow him into the elevator. Inside, he stopped the elevator, glaring at Tony. "I want you on Ziva's ass."

Tony had to suppress a grin. What he wouldn't give to be on Ziva's ass. But he had to keep his face neutral or he would give too much away, so instead he went for a simpler approach. "She's not really my type." He lied. But his boss did not appreciate Tony's jokes, slapping him on the back of the head.

"Detail her, DiNozzo." He growled.

Tony rambled on until Gibbs grew restless and Tony finally gathered his thoughts. "What if Ziva is right and Ari knew you traced the call? What if he isn't the sniper?" Everything that Ziva had said made sense and he was starting to believe that maybe Ari hadn't killed Kate. He needed to try to convince his boss and keep his family intact in the process.

**So here it is. I was really iffy about this chapter, but I hope you guys liked it. Let me know, leave a review! Hope you have a nice weekend. **


	5. 3X2, Kill Ari(Part II)

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

Right after Tony had his elevator encounter with Gibbs, he'd grabbed his gear and sprinted out of the building. He'd been excited, following Ziva around, but as he started to actually drive and follow her he'd become worried. Ziva wouldn't appreciate the idea that Tony was following her; she'd think that he didn't trust her. Tony knew he'd have to be discreet, but his wife was good, really good, and could easily figure out that she was being followed. It wasn't the actual being caught part he worried about, it was the impending question of what she would do to him when she caught him.

But despite all the fear, there were three major reasons as to why Tony didn't just turn back. First was that if he defied his boss's orders, Gibbs would find out and would want answers, to which Tony wouldn't be able to provide any. Secondly, there was so much that Ziva wasn't telling him. He understood that she was sworn to secrecy, but if he found out on his own, then technically they weren't breaking any rules. It was crucial that Tony know what Ziva had up her sleeve, so that if the time came, he would be able to protect her. Thirdly, he thought it might be fun, trailing Ziva and finally seeing her ninja skills in action. Something he never got to see, but heard Ari boast about how proud of Ziva he was and to also watch out because she was seriously deadly.

Trailing Ziva led Tony to a hotel. He'd allowed her to go in before he followed her in. For a second he thought he'd lost her, but somehow he'd found her again in the pool. The pool area was empty. Therefore he couldn't go in without her noticing, so instead he decided to stay outside, watching through the double doors. Watching through the tiny windows of the door and trying not to be caught, Tony was captivated by his wife's beauty as she swam lap after lap, each movement as graceful as the last.

Distracted from watching Ziva, Tony didn't notice the woman that approached behind him. "Excuse me," she said standing firm in her spot. Tony looked her up and down, stopping when he landed on her Star of David. Figuring that it might lead to a clue about Ari, Tony moved out of the way, allowing her access into the pool.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Tony pulled his phone out, pressing speed dial two. His boss answered on the second ring with his gruff voice and Tony informed him of this other woman. Much more wasn't able to be said due to the horrible reception that part of the area had, so not known for his patience, Gibbs hung up the phone in frustration.

Ziva continued to swim pushing in two more laps before the other woman walked out in the same attire that Ziva was in. She swam one more lap, slipping out of the pool to carry on with her plan. But DiNozzo the excellent investigator he was and not missing an opportunity to get pictures of his wife in a bikini snapped pictures of them, noticing that they had switched robes. Once Ziva was gone he went in, checking the robe to find an envelope full of money and a phony French passport for Ari in the pocket. The other Israeli had caught him, freezing Tony stuttered to come up with a lame excuse as he stripped to his boxers. The Israeli, not believing a word of what he had said smirked. "I'm flattered, but I'm married."

"So, am I." Tony smiled. The woman left, shaking her head in disbelief. Tony quickly ran out the pool, pulling up his pants and throwing the rest of his clothes on. Running out of the hotel, Tony phoned his boss, meeting him in the front hotel. Gibbs flashed his lights, Tony running into his boss's car. Bribed with a box of pizza, Tony blabbed to his boss of everything he'd discovered, the money and passport for Ari. Content that his agent was on top of things, he dismissed him. Tony left the car, grabbing the pizza and heading back to the hotel entrance. At first he'd headed straight back to the pool, hopping to find Ziva there, but when he couldn't find her, he headed back outside to wait for her. She'd have to exit at some point or another.

Leaning against the wall, watching the rainfall, and the pizza not cooperate with his stomach he heard the voice of a woman he knew all too well. "Expresso?" Stunned Tony froze, he had been caught and had no idea what Ziva would do. He waited for Ziva to threaten him, but instead she held out a styrofoam coffee cup to him. "You better take it. It is not a bribe." Tony stared at his wife, her curly hair pulled up in a half ponytail.

"How long have you known I was-" Tony continued to eye his wife wearily.

"Following me?" Ziva smirked at her husband. "Since I left the navy yard." She came to stand relatively close to her husband's side.

"I don't think so," Tony shook his head. He had made sure that he was well out of sight. Ziva chuckled, telling Tony the exact route that he had taken. Frustrated that Ziva really had spotted him from the beginning cut him off. "Okay, okay, okay. You win." Ziva smiled. She was competitive and loved to win, so the fact that Tony had given her right made her smile.

But she also knew how competitive Tony was and how much he hated to lose to her. Everything was a competition between them and so as a peace offering she held out the extra coffee cup. "Take it, it is chilly out, ahava." Tony leaned over, acting as he was going in for a kiss, but instead he took the coffee cup she kept in her other hand. "I did not poison it just because you were following me."

"I never know. The rumors I've heard make it sound like you can be pretty ruthless. Better safe than sorry." Tony joked.

But Ziva obviously didn't see it as a joke, she took his comment to heart. "Tony you do not think that I would do something to you just because you are following me? I understand the circumstances we are in are not ideal, but we must have some faith in each other yes?" Ziva stared at Tony. At this moment she needed reassurance of the status of their relationship. Ziva feared that all of this whole issue was going to separate them.

"I trust you Zi, with my life." He gave her hand a tight squeeze. "But I still don't think you knew I was following you." He smirked, ending them from further serious talk. Tony couldn't handle it, not now. With so much happening he needed a distraction and joking around with Ziva was the best medicine he could currently have.

"I did know, but you should not feel bad I was trained by the best." Ziva quickly caught on to Tony's need to change to a simpler subject. She too had felt the same way as Tony and some simple banter was helpful between the two.

"You know that's what I like about mossad." Tony took a sip his expresso, staring at Ziva.

Ziva's expression changed to that of confusion. She didn't quite understand Tony's comment; the only thing that ever came out of his mouth about Mossad was to speak poorly of it. Tony was not a fan of Mossad and lately not a fan of its director. Not that he had any run in with them, it was that it kept his wife from him and so automatically he hated anything Mossad. "Our training?"

"Modesty," he walked off the step, throwing away the pizza box in the trashcan in front of them.

Ziva laughed at Tony's comment. Walking over in his direction, she stopped Tony from throwing the box away. "There's a slice in there." Tony sighed. How the hell did she know there was a slice in there? Tony smiled as he realized that Ziva knew him all too well. Only she would know that Tony didn't like eating the last slice of pizza. He would either throw it away or if Ziva was there then she would eat it.

Tony took out the slice, holding it up to her. Instead of taking the slice, she leaned forward, taking a bite. "Toda," she thanked him.

Tony returned the sentiment, smiling lovingly at her, "Prego." They stared into each other's eyes. So much love was conveyed in their gaze. What they wouldn't give just to go back to the apartment and spend the night together, but unfortunately they had a job to do.

"Aunt Nettie would like to know when you will go and visit her. She misses you." There was a double meaning behind her message. It was her that missed Tony, even though she was with him, but once the mission was over she was surely be sent back immediately. She knew she was acting overemotional, but seeing Tony did that to her.

"Soon I promise. I've missed her as well." Tony bent down, kissing Ziva on the nose. "I've also missed another someone that goes by the name," Tony moved to Ziva's ear, whispering in her ear. "Mrs. DiNozzo."

Tony's warm breath tickled against Ziva's ear. "I believe I know her and she does not seem to have missed you." She had tried to act serious, but the smile that crept on her lips gave her away.

Tony smirked, trying to think of a comeback. "Well then I guess she won't miss the amazing sex I have to offer." Tony crossed his arms, moving back to lean on the wall, arms crossed.

Ziva contemplated what Tony had said. "I think I got them confused. She might have missed you a bit." She ran a finger down Tony's chest, seducing him. Tony gulped as Ziva continued to mess with him, stopping right before things got out of hand. "Laila tov," Ziva headed to walk away, but Tony wrapped his fingers around her wrist, pulling her to him. He pressed a desperate kiss to her lips. She welcomed it, opening her mouth to allow Tony access to her mouth. His tongue explored her mouth, taking in his taste. Tony's hands explored her body, cupping her butt and trailing back up her back. When they went back down, Ziva grabbed his hand, stopping him from moving further. "We cannot." Reluctantly she pulled away, kissing him one last time.

They were a bit flustered, but they quickly composed themselves. Tony stayed at the wall, while he watched Ziva walk away, swaying her hips. "Buena notte," Tony called after her, so far he felt that maybe things wouldn't have to end terribly for both of them.

**NCIS**

Back at the office, the investigation for Ari continued. They worked late into the night, Gibbs more determined than ever to find that bastard. The team was too loyal to their boss to go home or defy their orders, so they stayed, but when the director stormed into the bullpen they were tied. She ordered them to head home and pack for Kate's funeral tomorrow. A flight was arranged to fly them out to Indiana. No one could argue with that, not even Gibbs. Kate was like a daughter to him, that was why he was letting hell break loose to find Ari. He wanted payback for what he had done to his family. The two agents glanced over at their boss, although technically the director was their boss's boss, he nodded. But before Tony could leave he wanted to make sure that Ziva was okay with him leaving to Indiana. He didn't want to go, especially since they didn't know how long Ziva would be here, but he had to. He needed to head over in order to allow her space to finish the mission and most importantly he needed to say his final goodbye to his partner and friend. Ziva understood his commitment and mouthed go towards him.

The team was ready to head to Indiana, but complications had risen throughout the day. Ziva had received a call in MTAC from her father. Tony had raced after her, wanting to tell her father-in-law off, but Ziva had just glared at him unable to voice what she wanted to in those moments. After Ziva's mysterious call with the director of mossad Gibbs ordered everyone down to Abby's lab. They went through the evidence and shortly after he questioned Ziva about how she knew his team's deepest secrets. Tony took his place behind Ziva, his hand brushing her arm from time to time. Each time Ziva leaned into his touch. She appreciated his silent support, feeling how tense he was. He wanted to voice up his concern, but bit his tongue to keep quiet.

In her attempt to keep ahead of the game, Ziva slipped up, causing her to have to admit that she had everyone profiled. This made Gibbs feel uneasy and ordered everyone out of the lab, so he could speak with Ziva alone. Tony was very hesitant about this, not wanting to leave his wife and boss alone, but with a sigh and a moment when no one seemed to pay attention, Tony squeezed his wife's hand quickly, before following the others out.

From what Tony had told her, Ziva knew better than to play games with the ex-marine, whom just seemed to continue to pace. He asked Ziva if she knew about his wife and daughter. She nodded. It had been hard reading that part of his file. She couldn't even imagine how it must have felt to loose someone. She couldn't' even imagine living in a life that didn't involve Tony.

After that moment of sharing, Gibbs proceeded to line up facts to Ziva that connected him to Kate's death. But Ziva refused to believe it. Ari was her brother, there was no way he was this monster everyone claimed him to be.

Gibbs persistent that Ari was the sniper and Ziva continued to argue that he wasn't. But Gibbs was stubborn and he was never wrong, so to prove this to Ziva he wanted her to set him up as bait. He'd added that if he was right, he wanted her to back him up. But how was she to do that? Ari was her brother. The man obviously didn't know that bit of information, but still. She wouldn't betray her family, the only family that she mattered to. Her mother was gone, her sister taken, and a father who no longer saw his children as that, but as weapons. Ari was the only one she had left and she would not be the one responsible for eliminating the last family member that mattered. But regardless, she accepted his proposal maybe if she acted like she planned to back him up, when the time came she could turn the tables on Gibbs.

Ziva had called Ari right after her talk with Gibbs. She'd told him what Gibbs was planning and so, he'd headed to Gibbs's house, wanting to be one step ahead of him. Gibbs too had headed straight to his basement in search of his Sniper, while Ziva stayed inside the house, but when she heard voices she approached the basement door, listening to the conversation between her brother and Gibbs. Even though she had clearly heard Ari confess to everything they had accused him of, she couldn't believe her ears. She had to shake her head to make sure she had heard right. It was clearly Ari's voice, but the man speaking was no longer Ari. That wasn't the Ari she knew, no the Ari standing before Gibbs was a monster. This was not Ari, the brother that would keep her and her sister safe from the nightmares. Gibbs had been right all along, they had all been right all along. With a sigh she knew what she had to do. In these moments she wasn't following orders and she wasn't doing this because she had made a deal with Gibbs. She was doing this for Tony because he had been so understanding with everything lately. He had acted like the perfect husband and she knew that once he found out what really happened he would want to be the one to shoot Ari, so she couldn't allow him to dirty his hands. She wouldn't allow him to have something like that on his conscious.

She had to do it for them, with a take of air she waited for her cue, the words that she and Gibbs had agreed on, the ones that would allow her to pull the trigger before Ari had a chance to. Closing her eyes, Ziva tried to picture someone else standing in her line of fire and not her brother. She pulled the trigged, hearing as Ari's body hit the floor. With a couple of breaths to hold back the tears, she descended down Gibbs's steps. As she made her way down the steps, coming in contact with her brother's body the intensity of what she had done sunk in. She couldn't believe what she had done. She had actually shot her own brother.

But soon enough Gibbs had made the connection from the fact that she and Ari shared the same father. He asked her, wanting clarification on the matter. This changed things for him, the way he saw her was no longer the same from what she had arrived. He felt compassion and respect. She nodded, clarifying that Ari was only her half-brother, like somehow that would make this easier, but it didn't. Ari was still her brother, regardless if they didn't share the same mother. Gibbs went in to squeeze her hand on his way out. Ari might have been a bastard and terrorist, but he still had respect for the dead. He allowed some privacy for Ziva, observing her on his way out.

She stared down at her brother, picking up a near stool. She sat on the stool, controlling her breathing. She so desperately wanted to cry, but she wouldn't, not here. Her brother might have been a terrorist, betrayed his own family and killed an agent, but that wasn't all he was. He had been much more than that. At one point they had all been a happy family and even after her mother had died and her father had turned cold, Ari continued to be the only one that cared for her and Tali. He at least deserved to cross over in peace. With her tears in control Ziva started singing Hebrew prayers, staying by her brother's side, saying her final goodbyes.

**NCIS**

With the case under wraps the team was finally able to catch that flight and make it just in time for Kate's funeral. Halfway through the funeral Tony received an unsettling text. _When will you be home? I really need to see you before I leave. _Tony worried that once she was ordered to fly out she would have to do so in that instance and even if Tony wasn't there she would leave without saying goodbye. As much as he wanted to be at Kate's funeral, pay his respects, his wife was much more important, especially since he wouldn't see her in whom knows how long

_3 hours tops._ Tony replied back, as he calculated that it would be an hour and half flight back to D.C and how much more time there was left of the funeral. Thankfully, the flight would be leaving right after the funeral.

_Okay, I will be waiting at home._ Came Ziva's reply. Tony smiled at the way Ziva called his apartment home, but he quickly made it disappear as McGee starred at him curiously.

_Can't wait._ Tony responded, but he grew worried as Ziva never responded back and couldn't shake the feeling that something could be wrong.

Tony paid his respects, remembered some great memories spent with Kate and wished her a final goodbye. As much as it hurt him to part with the woman that had been his friend for three years, had treated him as if she was his work wife, they had fought, laughed, joked and plotted together, he was a bit relieved to head home and check on Ziva. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something could be terribly wrong with her.

**NCIS**

Like promised, Tony was walking into his apartment not even three hours later. It was dark and he wondered if Ziva had already left, especially since as soon as he had called her to let her know he had landed, but she hadn't responded. Tony dropped his things by his door, making his way to the living room, suddenly not in the mood for anything. He'd planned to watch sappy movies to match his mood, but as he approached the living room he heard sniffling coming from the couch. Turning on the side table lamp, Tony found his wife curled up on the couch. He rarely saw Ziva this broken. The few times that he'd seen her like this was when her mother and Tali had died.

Tony wasn't sure how to approach this situation. He had very little experience with an emotional Ziva. If anything it was always her that comforted him with his problems. Tony walked towards the couch, sitting on the coffee table in front of Ziva. "Hey," Tony whispered.

Ziva lifted her head, opening her eyes and staring up at her husband. "Hey," she whispered, giving Tony a weak smile, before looking down.

Tony tucked a stray piece of hair behind Ziva's ear. "What's wrong, zi?" She shook her head, trying to pretend that nothing was wrong, but it was futile because it was obvious something was seriously wrong. "You know you can tell me anything, now please tell me what happened."

Ziva shook her head, as much as she wanted to tell Tony she couldn't. What would he think of her? If he heard what she had done, he would certainly see her in a different way. She would probably disgust him and she couldn't handle him leaving her too. "Come on Zi, you can tell me anything."

Ziva knew she would have to tell him eventually and maybe she was just overreacting and he wouldn't react as bad as she thought. But that was hoping too much because an act as unnatural as hers should not be forgiven. She sighed, giving in to Tony's pleas, but she could not look at him. Tony was never good at hiding his feelings and she did not want to be hurt as she told him. "When we stayed in the lab…. Gibbs he uh… wanted me to set Ari up to prove that he was the sniper, but if he was right I was to provide him with backpack." She took a deep breath as she figured out the best way to say the next part. No matter how she said it, it wouldn't justify what she had done. "I only agreed, well because I planned to go against Gibbs, but as I stood by the basement door I heard everything Ari admitted and I realized that he was no longer my brother but a stranger. I guess I just couldn't go back on my word and I took the shot." Tears started again, as Ziva's shoulders shook. "I killed my brother, Tony! I killed him."

To say he was shocked was an understatement, but he realized that in fact Ari was no longer the man he used to be. He couldn't comprehend what killing her own brother had down to Ziva, but he did know that she didn't need him to judge her. She needed his compassion, his love and that was exactly what Tony was prepared to give. Tony sat on the couch, brining Ziva into his arms. "Oh Zi." He rubbed her back, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

Comfortable in her husband's arms, Ziva allowed herself to release more tears. Everything came flooding back, the replay of killing Ari, all that love and compassion that Tony had demonstrated to her was all overwhelming. Tony held Ziva for as long she needed him too, stroking her back and whispering sweet nothings in her ear, until she'd had enough. Ziva pulled away from Tony, leaving a hand over her husband's heart. "Thank you ahava. Thank you for loving me, regardless of my past and baggage."

Tony ran a cupped hand down Ziva's cheek. "I will always love you Ziva. Always." He kissed her lips, trying to convey all of his love in just one kiss. She responded urgently, wanting the love he was so willingly giving. The kiss that had started out as desperate quickly escalated to passionate. Tony startled Ziva on his lap, picking her off the couch and carrying her into the bedroom. Clothes were discarded on the floor, their bodies becoming one as they gave into each other's passion. It was helpful to them, healing and comforting. It was a way to show each other all the love they had for one another, a way to take their relationship and bond to a whole other level.

The night was spent wrapped in one another's arms wishing, hoping, that morning wouldn't come. They weren't ready to say goodbye again and both waited for that one miracle that would allow Ziva to stay just a bit longer. That's all they wished for, a little bit more of time.

**NCIS**

Eli's phone call in the middle of the night brought fear and worry to them. Ziva reluctantly answered and hoped that she would not be dragged from her husband's side just yet. "Shalom, abba." Tony tried to pay attention to the conversation, but seeing as his Hebrew was a little rusty and it was the middle of the night he was only able to catch glimpses of the conversation.

With a sigh, he fell against his pillow, closing his eyes as he waited for his wife to finish up her phone call. "Shalom," she said moments later, slamming the phone shut and throwing it against the wall. At the noise, Tony was startled out of his nap and he looked over at Ziva. "I must fly home in the morning. Is it too much to ask for a day or two between assignments?" She groaned loudly. They could not keep doing this. They could handle saying goodbye after a two week visit, but these spontaneous two day visits weren't enough and it made saying goodbye that much harder.

Tony held out his arms for Ziva to go to. She did, snuggling in his embrace. They couldn't keep doing this. They didn't want to keep doing this. Ziva was determined once she returned to Israel to speak with her father. She'd had enough and she knew that Ziva had also had enough of this setup. It was settled, she would speak with her father and talk about a transfer. She had to do this not only for her, but for Tony that had put up with everything for so long.

**Hoped you liked it. Please don't forget to review!**


	6. 3X4, Silver War

**You guys are the best ever! I never expected this kind of response to my story. Thank you for all of your reviews, follows and favorites. I have answered your reviews individually, to those that are open. Now for guests unfortunately I cannot send a PM, but I would like to thank you for taking the time to review. I want to hug you all, but I have one better, the next chapter. This is a direct continuation of last chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

Morning had come too quickly for the couple despite their best efforts to put off Ziva's departure. They'd taken advantage of every minute they could spare. Cuddling up five extra minutes in bed, showering together, cooking breakfast side by side and even packing Ziva's things. Tony would fold as Ziva would pack away, but the time had come to say their final goodbyes and much like last time it was an emotional one. Unlike last time, Ziva was hopeful that this would be their final goodbye like this. She hoped that the next time she came to D.C. it would be with news that it was indefinitely.

Tony was just as bummed as last time, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking away. He'd stayed, hoping maybe that Ziva had changed her mind and decided to stay, but after an hour of waiting Ziva had never come back. Disappointed Tony walked towards his car and after a short debate of whether he would phone Paul again, he headed for the Navy Yard, not caring that he'd be an hour early into work.

In no mood to work and in less of a mood to just sit at his desk and wallow in self-pity, Tony started on his task of backed up paperwork. Tony was surprised at how much he could accomplish when he actually concentrated and worked. He'd finished a third of his stack before Gibbs had walked into the squad room, coffee in hand. When McGee emerged from the elevator he was surprised to find the senior field agent in so early and working. But instead of voicing his concern, he'd gone straight to his desk, teasing Tony out of his slump. Tony ignored McGee, continuing on his work. Close to starting time, Tony and McGee did turn to stare at one another, wondering when Kate would come in, but when realization hit their face turned glum and they returned to their own thing. It would take some time for them to adapt to the idea that Kate was actually not returning.

Tony's train of thought verged from Kate to Ziva, popping an idea in his mind. There was no point for him to continue in this mood, so instead he pulled out his phone texting her ani ohev otakh. He knew that he wouldn't be hearing a reply from her anytime soon, as it was a fifteen-hour flight to Tel Aviv, but at least he knew that when she checked her phone she'd smile at the message left.

By the time Gibbs walked into the squad room, coffee in hand, Tony had managed to reduce his pile of case files. The agents were now just sitting there. Gibbs barked at them to gear up, throwing Tony the keys to the truck. Quickly the two agents grabbed their gear and rushed out of the squad room.

The drive to the crime scene had been a silent one, no one in much mood to speak or comment on how awkward it felt. All morning everyone had been expecting Tony to make a movie reference to the similarity of the case, but one never came. Instead he'd stayed silent, only speaking when needed and following orders without complaints.

The case was a blur for Tony, although he was only paying enough attention to receive orders and follow through with them. He'd attempted to pay attention, but there was always something that would trigger Kate or Ziva into his thoughts. He could handle most of them, pushing them to the back of his mind as he researched for the case, but when Ziva's devastated face from last night after her confession was making his heart hurt. It was her frightened look that had worried him the most. She was frightened that Tony wouldn't love her once he knew the truth, but he loved her too much to ever just run. Even if she'd managed to piss him enough to think about running he wouldn't. He couldn't imagine his life without her and would try to work everything out before resulting to leaving.

**NCIS**

When the case was wrapped up around ten that night, he was pleased to go home. Dropping his backpack by the door, his keys in the bin, and ripping his tie off, Tony crashed on the couch. He reached for the TV remote, stopping in mid action when he noticed a flashing red light coming from the voice machine. He eyed the machine curiously, wondering who could have called. No one ever called that line, but regardless curiosity won him over and he went to check it. Relief flooded him when he heard his wife's voice come through the speaker. "Tony I thought it would be safer if I called you here. I just wanted to let you know that I have made it safely. I assume you will be hearing this once you get off of work. Ani ohevet otakh ahava. I hope to see you soon." The machine beeped, signaling that the message was over. Tony didn't want the message to finish. Wanting to hear his wife's voice, Tony played the message at least three times. With the message fresh on his mind, he jumped in for a quick shower and straight to bed, Ziva not too far from his mind.

**NCIS**

Ziva had disappeared into the crowd of people rushing to their gates, leaving Tony behind her. It took all of her self-control not to look behind her because if she did she knew she would not resist and would have Tony beg her to stay. With the way she was feeling she would be easily persuaded, but as she wished Tony a goodbye she reminded herself about the conversation that she had with her father. He'd told her that she soon would be relocated. This was her opportunity to convince her father that she wanted to be relocated to D.C. She felt confident that it would work out, but when reality hit she realized that maybe her father would not so easily be persuaded. She knew her father too well and her confidence was slowly dwindling. If her father didn't relocate her to D.C., then how was she to tell Tony? This information would just be something that would longer their hopes of being together. This could lead Tony to realize that Ziva was not waiting for and would stop fighting for their love. What was she to do then? She was strong and could probably continue on with her life. She had done it enough times in her life when people had disappointed her. But Tony, well he, he had been that one constant in her life. Tony had somehow crept into her heart and she wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was like without him there. Yes Tel Aviv was her home, where she'd grown up, but she would be willing to leave that behind for Tony.

Frustrated with her situation and thoughts Ziva plugged in her music, closing her eyes. She must have not realized when she'd fallen asleep because the next thing that Ziva remembered was an older woman waking her to inform her that they were now boarding the plane. Surprised, Ziva thanked the elderly woman, grabbing her backpack and boarded the plane.

Ziva took her seat by the window, pulling out her book that she was yet to finish. She tucked her backpack under the seat in front of her. She made herself comfortable, reading her book as she waited for the plane to take off. With her mood, Ziva hoped no one would sit next to her, but her hopes were crushed when the same elderly woman from earlier settled into the seat next to Ziva. Engaged in her book, Ziva attempted to avoid conversation, but the silence was short lived when the woman caught a glimpse of Ziva's rings. "That is a beautiful ring." The woman gushed. The ring was simple but elegant with diamonds surrounding the band and a pear shaped diamond in the middle.

Ziva's gaze went from her book to her rings and up at the woman. With the emotional morning they'd had, she'd forgotten that she was wearing them. A faint smile crept on her lips as she realized she was wearing them, rarely was the chance that she was able to wear them. Mostly they were either secure in a jewelry box or clasped to her Star of David chain. "Thank you." Ziva thanked the woman, unconsciously playing with her rings.

Ziva went back to her book, the woman not pressing further until the flight attendants came by handing out food. "Do you live in Israel?" The woman asked casually.

Ziva nodded and she must have needed someone to talk to more than she had realized. "I do, but I was just visiting my husband."

The woman smiled, having her own experience with long distance relationships. "It gets better, I promise." She smiled, placing a hand on Ziva's shoulder.

Ziva sighed. "I hope you are right."

The conversation wasn't pushed much further. They'd returned to their individual activities, the elder woman napping and Ziva pulled out some paper to write Tony a letter.

**NCIS**

Another nightmare of Ziva leaving had torn Tony from his bed. When he'd realized that Ziva wasn't sleeping next to him he didn't want to head back to sleep. Instead like he'd done mornings before he grabbed his gym bag and headed to his work.

After his workout Tony made it up to the bullpen, arriving once again before everyone else. With nothing to do, he'd started on his paper work. When McGee walked in he didn't say anything about Tony's condition.

Both agents were relieved when Gibbs walked in to the squad room, ordering them to grab their gear. Tony was desperate for the distraction and McGee was glad to get out of an awkward situation with Tony.

Unlike this morning Tony made his best attempt to better his mood. He still wasn't to his full self, but he'd pushed all his thoughts to the back of his mind. McGee bought Tony's act, but Gibbs's didn't. He could tell something was bothering his senior agent, but he didn't say anything, instead he just ordered him to take statements. Focusing on pretty women distracted Tony for a while, but as soon as he finished his frown reappeared. Gibbs noticed and he figured his agent needed to be kept distracted from whatever it was he was dealing with. He ordered Tony to next take pictures and any other little jobs Gibbs could think of. By the third pointless job Tony had caught on at his boss's attempt to keep him distracted. Tony was very grateful because he knew this was his way of showing that he cared and wanted to help. He welcomed these pointless jobs to keep his mind distracted because thinking about Ziva was dangerous, especially since the team already knew of her existence and Gibbs didn't seem to like her very much.

Tony's mood didn't improve much after that. He was trying, truly trying to pay attention to the on going case, but he kept wandering to Kate and Ziva. When his boss spoke to him he tried to make out the words, but the only thing he heard was blah blah bah. He just nodded, hoping that would be all his answer required, but it wasn't. Gibbs wanted a verbal answer. Agitated with Tony's mood, the ex-marine head slapped Tony, sending him with McGee to pick up a suspect.

Very unlike himself Tony didn't bully McGee into letting him drive, instead he climbed into the passenger seat. McGee looked over at Tony sighing. "Seriously, what is wrong with you? You haven't been acting like yourself. I know Kate's death was hard, but it wasn't just hard on you. You know. We all miss her." Tony stiffened a little and McGee took it as a clue. "Unless there was something else going on between you and her."

Tony froze, not knowing how to respond to McGee's accusations. As much as he trusted McGee to keep quiet, his marriage to Ziva was a delicate matter. He would have just played along with the Kate thing, but he didn't see the point. Instead Tony did what he did best in these types of situations; he lied. "I guess we'll never know, now will we."

McGee stayed quiet after that, his mind spinning on scenarios that could have happened between his coworkers. The same question popping up repeatedly, would they? But McGee didn't bring up the topic after that, despite how curious he was and Tony tried to do a better job at masking his feelings.

**NCIS**

The case didn't seem like it would be wrapping up anytime soon, leading the agents to work through the night and only managing about three hours of sleep at their desks. Close to morning McGee had discovered something in one of their suspects account. Since it had been McGee the one to find it, Gibbs brought him to bring the suspect in. This left Tony to take advantage of the free time to freshen up before they returned and started working once again.

Pissed off after his shower because he'd forgotten his spare clothes in his desk, Tony headed back up to the squad room in an undershirt and jacket. Grumbling about how much he hated the work showers, Tony pulled out his electric razor and rid himself of his stubble. He poured water in a mug and used it to brush his teeth. Tony felt like he'd been run over by a truck. Between sleeping in a chair and his mood yesterday, Tony needed to make sure that today his mood improved or Gibbs was sure to head slap again. "I shouldn't have stayed last night. If Gibbs sees me like this he'll-" Tony mumbled.

Ziva watched in amusement from Kate's desk, wondering how long it would take her husband to notice that she was there, but seeing as he was distracted with whatever it was she spoke up. "He'll probably be as horrified as I am agent DiNozzo."

Tony turned around, stopping at mid brush of his teeth. He wore his cute confused look, wondering if he was hallucinating that Ziva was actually there. He stayed quiet, not wanting to risk looking stupid if she actually wasn't there. Ziva leaned forward, smirking. She loved his morning look, disheveled hair and muscles on full display. "Working undercover as a hobo?" She joked.

"Mind telling me what you are doing here?" Tony wasn't in the mood for jokes and games, not this time. He just wanted to know what Ziva was doing here and how long she was planning to stay. He wanted to mentally prepare if this was going to be another one of those two day visits.

Ziva sighed. That had not been the reaction she was expecting from him. She'd expected a bit more of enthusiasm, but then again she'd expected this to only be a quick trip. "Waiting," she replied.

"For what?" Tony finished brushing his teeth, sticking his brush back into his drawer and slamming it shut.

"To start work." She smiled, as the confused expression was still evident on Tony's face, but she would not tell him the good news, not yet. "Does everyone always start this late?" She asked, looking around the office to check for any other agents.

Tony gave Ziva his are you kidding me face. "It's 0700."He spat.

"At mossad we start at 0500." She responded with a smirk, always having to win.

Tony slammed his top drawer, walking over to Ziva. He came to stand in front of Kate's desk, placing a hand on either side of Ziva's. "Let me rephrase the question. What the hell, are you doing here Ziva?"

Ziva sighed, keeping her gaze on Tony's eyes instead of his lips. She guessed now would be a good time as any to tell him. It had been the opportunity she was waiting for. "I see Gibbs didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Tony sighed. It was very frustrating for him whenever Ziva was acting very secretive.

Ziva turned serious. She was too excited about her news that she hadn't actually thought about how Tony would have taken this. She knew he wanted her here, but what she didn't know is if he would want her at his job. "Mossad has assigned me to NCIS as a liaison officer. We will be working together."

There was one crucial factor that Tony needed to know before allowing himself to enjoy this news. "Does Gibbs know about this?" He raised an eyebrow at Ziva. It was important that Gibbs agree to this because if he didn't then there was no chance that she would be able to stay despite their efforts. Tony knew that Gibbs hadn't taking a liking to Ziva mainly because of what she had come to do.

"You'd think I be here if he didn't?" Tony laughed, knowing his wife she would be here despite that. There wasn't anything that would stop her from getting what she wanted, except her father; he was the only person she didn't have the courage to stand up against.

Tony didn't respond, meaning he wanted to drop that subject for now. So in an attempt to distract them Ziva changed the subject. She'd noticed Tony's hair, sticking up. She teased him, hoping to improve his mood. Lifting her hand, she tried to comb down his hair, but Tony hated when people touched his hair when he was frustrated, so he moved aside. "You might want to do something about your hair. It is sticking up like a…porcuswine." Ziva shook her head. "Wrong word." She waved it off. "Like a porcupig," Tony gave her the eh close but not really look as he headed back to his desk to finish dressing. "You know the little animal with the spiky." McGee walked in at that moment, correcting her. "Procupine! Thank you special agent McGee." She looked over at Tony, wondering why he hadn't bothered to correct her. Most days she had to tell him to stop because he was constantly correcting her, but today he hadn't even bothered. Ziva shook it off, thanking McGee for his help. Today would be a long day if his mood didn't lighten up anytime soon.

"Toda," Ziva thanked McGee, taking one of the coffees from the cup holder he had in hand and walked back to the desk she had claimed as hers.

McGee turned to Tony, mouthing 'what is she doing here.' Tony shook his head. "Anyone have a key for this?" Ziva asked, trying to open the drawers at Kate's desk. She really didn't need one, she could pick the lock, but she wanted to respect the privacy.

Tony couldn't allow himself to hope, not until he knew that Gibbs would say to this. Then and only then would he allow himself to be excited, but McGee on the other hand wasn't too happy, not trying to hide his concern. "That's Kate's desk." McGee pointed out.

"But if I am going to be working with your team I would love to-" McGee interrupted her. Fed up with everyone acting so strange Ziva grabbed her orders, handing them to McGee and telling them it was signed by director Shepard. This bit of information was mostly directed for Tony, to let him know that she wasn't lying about her news.

Tony snatched the papers from McGee's hands, wanting to confirm the information. If the director had ordered it then maybe there was a chance that not even Gibbs could say against this. "Does Gibbs know?" McGee asked.

"I hope so, all of my stuff is being shipped from Tel Aviv." She said, trying to hide the joy in her voice. She would finally be living with Tony. No more separation and no more video chats at weird hours of the day. No more hoping that she could wake up next to her husband.

Tony knew that despite the fact that both directors of mossad and NCIS signed off it, it was not a done deal. Gibbs had the final say in this. It was his team and he would be darned if he allowed just anyone on it, especially someone Tony knew he didn't trust. "I would hold off on unpacking the waffle iron, zi, Ziva." He corrected himself.

Gibbs walked in as Tony handed Ziva back her orders. He smiled at her, in his reassurance manner, but to anyone else it would have looked like a smirk. Both silently hoped that Gibbs signed off on this, despite him acting indifferent. Ziva went to greet Gibbs, telling him that she looked forward to being a member of his team. Gibbs stayed quiet, sipping his coffee as he stared at Ziva. He glanced at her one last time before walking off and leaving Ziva standing like an idiot. Embarrassed, Ziva walked back to Kate's desk, muttering something about feeling like a donkey's ass. Tony corrected her saying, giving Ziva a bit of hope that his mood was lightening up.

McGee excused himself, wanting to tell Abby the news. This left Tony and Ziva in the squad room. Tony was still a bit frustrated with everything, but one look at his wife and it all dissipated. "Copy room one minute. Down the hall first door on the right." He walked off, heading for the copy room.

Ziva allowed for a minute to pass before meeting up with Tony in the copy room. Tony was waiting with stretched arms and a smile on his face. "Come here," Ziva went willing into his arms, melting at his touch. "I'm sorry for my attitude. I was just frustrated with how quickly you came and left. Two days was not enough time and then your news caught me off guard. I couldn't allow myself to hope because I know what Gibbs would say and how much he would fight this. So until I know Gibbs is going to allow this I cant allow myself to celebrate just yet, okay?" Ziva nodded understanding. "But I am happy you're here." He kissed the top of her head, breathing her in.

"I am sorry Tony. You know I would have done anything to stay longer but Eli called and needed me for Ari's funeral and assign my orders to be relocated." She whispered, leaning into his touch.

Tony placed a finger under her chin, bringing her lips to his. He broke the kiss too soon for either of their liking, but they needed to get back before anyone got suspicious. "But you realize that now more than ever we have to keep this secret because if your father finds out he will send you back to Israel." Ziva nodded. No one said this was going to be easy, but at least they would have each other. She gave him one last kiss, pulling apart but Tony hugged her, kissing her head.

"Are we okay?" Ziva asked wearily.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, we are more than okay, but just remember that anything I say or do out there is just for show. I don't actually mean any of it." He captured her lips once again, proving that everything was okay between them.

"I know. Same goes for me, okay?" Tony nodded before he left first, heading back to the squad room and straight to his desk, starting on work.

Ziva came back a few seconds after, heading to Kate's desk. They sat in silence for a while until Tony heard Ziva sigh more than once. She still looked upset about earlier's incident, taping on the desk for a distraction. She wasn't one to take humiliation well and wasn't in the mood for anymore joking. Tony not wanting to see his wife like that tried to come up with a distraction, knowing she loved to read and it provided comfort he offered her something to read.

She sighed, looking up at him, the seriousness still in her voice. Her voice was a bit horse. "What do you have?"

Tony smirked he didn't actually have books, but he hoped what he was about to show her would pull her out of the funk that she was in. He went through his top drawer, pulling out a GSM magazine with a half naked picture of a lady on top and explained to Ziva what it was.

Ziva pulled out a Hebrew copy of the magazine from her backpack. Tony looked surprised to see Ziva with that kind of magazine. He glanced from her copy and back to his several times. "I especially like the article on page 57." Tony was quick to look at the article on that page, if Ziva had liked it then maybe there would be hope of them both doing that.

Gibbs caught Tony looking at the magazine and threw a paper ball at his head. Tony grunted and shuffled to put the magazine away. With Gibbs descending from the director's office the couple nerves returned. They hoped Gibbs would agree to Ziva staying. They tried to read Gibb's expression, but it was hard to decipher. "What's the verdict?" Ziva asked, rising from her seat.

"Pack your trash," Gibbs ordered and both Ziva's and Tony's face fell.

Ziva was able to do a better job at masking her disappointment. "Not a problem," she replied, disappointment lacing her voice. Tony on the other hand was very serious. He knew his boss would not accept this. He still had a bit of hope that he would allow her to stay and everything would be okay, but now his boss had not agreed and she would have to leave. He so badly wanted to go comfort his wife, to hug her right then and there but he had to restrain himself from such actions. If his boss thought Tony was grumpy now he would make his life hell for not accepting his wife. "Most of my stuff doesn't arrive until next week." She grabbed her backpack and started making her way out of the squad room. "Nice seeing you again, Tony." She wished she could say more. I love you, I am sorry this did not work out anything more to show how much she loved him. But she couldn't and settled for something simple.

She said goodbye to McGee as she made her way to the elevator. Ziva wasn't one for crying, but now she wanted to cry and breakdown. Why was life so unfair that it didn't allow her to be with her husband? Just as the elevator was closing Gibbs jumped in, surprising Ziva. "I told you to pack your trash Ziva." She looked at him and then straight ahead. "I don't remember giving you permission to leave." In his typical Gibbs manner he pushed the emergency break on the elevator to stop it. "You requested this assignment?"

"I did."

Gibbs stared at her, wanting Ziva to elaborate on her response. Ziva sighed, explaining that it all lead to Ari. It was partly true, but the main reason for requesting this assignment was so that she could be closer to Tony. She thought that after all the stuff he had put up with he at least deserved this.

Gibbs understood and she thanked him for keeping the secret of Ari's true killer between them. He nodded, explaining to her that out of the walls of the elevator he wouldn't act different around her and Ziva understood. With a sign of initiation and welcome to the team he head slapped her before walking out of the elevator and announcing to the rest of the team. "Miss David will be with us for a while."

Tony stood; had he really been hearing correctly? Ziva was going to stay? He couldn't wait until they got a moment alone to finally be happy about this and congratulate his wife the way it should have been since the beginning. For once in a long time he was excited to be going home.

After Gibbs ordered Ziva to another desk and left, Tony walked over to the window hoping Ziva would follow. She sighed, commenting. "He's a tough one to read."

Never one to turn down an opportunity to boast about his awesome skills Tony responded, "you will find most NCIS agents are like that, it's our training." He moved to stand in front of her, staring deeply into her eyes.

Ziva raised one eyebrow, staring at Tony's lips and back up to his eyes. She really wished she could kiss him. She was really excited that she would be staying indefinitely. "Is that a fact?"

Tony nodded. He too allowed his gaze to linger on Ziva's lips. "Mhm, we never let other people know what we are thinking." Tony stared at Ziva, trying to get a read on her, but she turned away to look in the general direction of the squad room.

But she looked back at Tony because she knew what he was thinking, especially now that they had gotten the great news. "Right now you are thinking of doing page fifty seven with me," and if Ziva was honest with herself so was she. Tony smirked because yeah he had been and Ziva leaned a bit close to his ear, "if you are good then tonight we will try." She looked him up and down once before walking back into the squad room.

Tony's smile disappeared. How the hell was he supposed to concentrate at all now when all he could think about was he, Ziva and page fifty-seven. Ugh, if this is what it is going to be like working with Ziva then he didn't know if he would be able to control himself, but at least he had Ziva with him and he would forever be grateful for that.

**NCIS**

At the crime scene Ducky was checking the body, rambling about a story that reminded him of this case. Tony, McGee and Ziva were in the back goofing off. Tony was posing in front of a bear while McGee took pictures. Ziva just observed, wondering if this is how her husband acted when she wasn't around. They were supposed to be working not taking silly pictures. If this were mossad they would have already been killed for being distracted. But then she sighed and realized that she was no longer in Israel. She couldn't help but feel a bit of nostalgia. Israel would always be her home; it had been a part of her for so long. Mossad was who she was and all she had known, but she did not regret her decision. She loved Tony and she would leave all of that to be with him.

When Gibbs came back, asking for a report Tony and McGee filled him in. Ziva asked if she could drive the truck back to base and permission was granted. She drove like she always did, speeding and weaving through traffic, acting reckless on the road. Tony kept making fun of Ziva's driving and to try and diverge the attention off of her she brought up the issue of Tony and the civil war, but Tony ignored her and McGee answered instead. Somehow the topic of her father came up and she sped up, trying to avoid that unpleasant conversation. They made her turn left and she turned on the opposite side of the rode, freaking Tony and McGee out. Finally they'd had enough, making her pull over while Tony took the wheel.

They got back to the Navy Yard in one piece, thankfully and continued to work on the case. Gibbs ordered McGee to the lab, Tony to research and Ziva to keep observing. That pissed her off. She didn't want to keep observing she wanted in on the action. "Now I know why he took all my weapons away." Ziva growled.

Making sure no one was within earshot, Tony leaned over his desk and whispered. "Relax Zi hurting Gibbs will not help the situation. But I promise tonight I will help relieve the tension." He smirked, but Ziva glared at him, clearly not in the mood.

They all continued to work. Ziva still observing at the desk she had been assigned. At one point Tony had gotten so distracted that he had not noticed Ziva leave. He looked around the squad room, wandering if she had already gone home for the night. "Ziva," he called out again.

"Yes," she called out from behind him.

Tony jumped. Damn those ninja skills, he thought. She always managed to sneak up on him and it always scared him shitless. "Frist of all don't ever do that again and second what are you doing?"

"I'm observing you Tony." She looked him up and down several times.

"Is there any way you can do that in a less creepy manner?" He walked up to her, a smirk on his face "and more in a seductive manner?" He whispered hoping no one would hear.

"There will be time for that later, Tony." She slapped his cheek in a playful manner and they turned their attention to Gibbs and the redheaded woman he was accompanied by.

**NCIS**

Back down at the lab it was obvious that Abby wasn't very pleased with Ziva's addition to the team. While Abby was filling them in on the case she kept glancing over at Ziva, giving her rude looks. "What do you think David?" Abby said rudely, pronouncing her name the American way.

"It is pronounced Daveed or you can just call me Ziva." Ziva argued back. She could feel Tony tense beside her. As much as he loved Abby and treated her as his younger sister, Ziva was his wife and he wouldn't allow anyone to mistreat her.

Abby had uncovered one more piece of information and Gibbs sent McGee and Ziva to investigate it. That clue led them to find a map, but ended up wet. Wanting to redeem herself and move up from observation, she changed into some of Tony's NCIS workout sweats and jacket and got straight to drawing the map from memory. This impressed Gibbs and he allowed her weapons back to help out at the site.

She was ordered to go with Ducky, and the anthropologist to follow the map. They did and it led them to a graveyard, where Ziva took down two men and the anthropologist that held a gun to Ducky's head. When Tony and Gibbs finally arrived for back up, he finally got to see what his wife was like in action. Real life didn't compare to stories and he had to admit that she was a bad ass. "Remind me not to piss her off," Tony told his boss.

**NCIS**

Ziva came home an hour later after resolving the issue of Kate's desk to Tony sprawled on the couch, half a beer on the coffee table, and a drama movie playing on the TV. She flashed him a smile, dropping her backpack next to the door and joining her husband on the couch. Tony wrapped an arm around Ziva. Automatically she leaned into him, Tony kissed the top of her head. "So, I was thinking that this weekend we could clean out my stuff to make room for yours." Ziva smiled. It was all too surreal she couldn't believe they were finally living together. "Oh and Paul called earlier, I told him you were here and he wants to know if you want to go to lunch with him and Sophie tomorrow?"

Ziva rested her head on his chest. "That would be nice. My stuff should arrive sometime next weekend so we can hold off to clean out. I just want to spend all day tomorrow with you and only leave this apartment for lunch." She snuggled up in his hold, leaning up to kiss him.

"Sounds like the perfect weekend to me." He returned the kiss, looking down at Ziva. "Now about page fifty-seven." Tony smirked.

"I am tired and I do not think you deserve it since you made me crawl through a dumpster full of dirt. You will have to redeem yourself."

"Okay, how about I start with dinner?"

"Yes." She said, moving to allow him to get up and cook them dinner.

With a kiss, he got up from the couch and headed to the kitchen. "By the way I'm sorry about Abby Zi, I really wish I could have told her something." He called out from the kitchen.

"I know you would. But do not worry I can handle myself." Tony nodded. After what he saw today he didn't doubt that.

Tony made them a romantic dinner with candlelight and classical music playing in the background. This had won him brownie points with Ziva and although it wasn't enough for page fifty-seven tonight he was certain it would be attempted sometime this weekend. Instead their night was spent very domestically between them, cuddled on the couch, talking and sipping on a mug of tea. Tony suggested Ziva several ways that she could win Abby over, do well with McGee and not move to Gibbs's bad side. Even though their night would have seemed boring to others, the couple wouldn't have asked for a better way to spend their nights. They were still trying to wrap their mind around the idea that Ziva would not be leaving anytime soon or not at all.


	7. First Weekend

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

Despite the night they'd had, Ziva the early riser she was awoke in the mood for a run. Naked bodies tangled, Ziva removed herself from Tony's embrace carefully. It was too early for him to be up on a Saturday morning and he needed his sleep after the three days he'd had. As she made her way into the bathroom to change, Ziva chuckled at the pile of discarded clothes and the bed sheets on the floor. She should have figured that even though she'd told Tony that there would be no bedroom activities happening that night, they would have ended up doing so, not that she minded. It had been the perfect way to spend their first night back together.

Quickly and quietly Ziva grabbed her running gear, changing into it. She scribbled a note, placing it on her pillow in case Tony was to wake before she returned, but she doubted it. Tony looked dead to the world and it being a weekend he would continue to be so until late morning. With a peck to Tony's temple and a brush of the cheek, Ziva grabbed her key, walking out of the apartment.

With so much to think through, Ziva extended her run for an extra mile. There were details that still needed figuring out. What worried her was that there was a chance that her father was going to monitor her and that would get a bit tricky. Eventually she figured that she would need to get an apartment to keep up appearances incase someone did come check on her.

**NCIS**

Tony woke shortly after, cuddling up to Ziva's side only to find it empty, except for a piece of paper with Ziva's scrawl. He groaned when he realized what it said, but instead of returning to sleep he left the bed, throwing on a t-shirt and sweats before heading to the kitchen. With the coffee machine brewing, Tony started on breakfast to surprise Ziva with.

Not long after Ziva walked into the apartment, sweaty and exhausted, while Tony was still making breakfast. Putting her ninja skills, as Tony called them, to good use she crept up to Tony, placing her hands around his waist and trailing kisses on his shoulder blades. Tony jumped a bit, not expecting Ziva to creep up behind him. He had told her on several occasions not to do that because she was bound to give him a heart attack. "Geez Zi you scared me."

Ziva placed another kiss on his blade, "I am sorry ahuvi. But you looked so sexy making breakfast that I could not resist." She smiled against his skin, breathing him in, and covering Tony with her sweat. But Tony didn't seem to mind.

"Well then I should cook breakfast more often." Tony turned his head slightly, crushing his lips on Ziva's. "Breakfast is ready. Can you hand me some plates?" Ziva nodded against his back, reluctantly releasing her hold and taking two plates from the cupboard. Taking the plates from Ziva, Tony served them some scrambled eggs, potatoes, a cup of fruit and French toast.

"This looks delicious." Ziva commented, taking their plates to the table as Tony served two cups of juice.

"It taste even better." Tony smiled, joining Ziva at the table.

Ziva was reluctant to try it as Tony was not known for his cooking abilities, but what she did not know was that he had been taking classes apart from the ones she had give him. Tony encouraged Ziva to try it and not wanting to disappoint her husband she did, finding herself enjoying the food. "This is actually edible and good." Ziva said, not hiding the fact that she was surprised.

"Try not to act so surprised." Tony faked hurt, but Ziva felt guilty and apologized. "I took a couple of classes, so I could start cooking for your more." Tony shrugged, not wanting to make a big deal out of it, but still Ziva smiled at him. The fact that Tony was taking classes for her touched her very much. This had definitely had earned him some brownie points towards page fifty-seven.

Breakfast was soon done, Tony had told Ziva to leave everything as he would clean up, but she had insisted on helping. He washed dishes as she dried them and placing them in their correct spot. The kitchen was soon left spotless and Ziva mumbled something about a much needed shower. It took Tony a couple of minutes to realize that meant an invitation to join her and he took off, throwing the dishtowel in the sink.

Tony ran into the shower, closing the door behind him as he watched his wife take off her dirty workout clothes. "Took you long enough. I was starting to think you did not want to share a shower with me anymore." Ziva frowned, but she could not stop it from turning into a smile.

"Never, you know something is wrong the day I refuse to shower with you." Tony kissed Ziva's lips, preparing to step into the shower when the ring of a cellphone stopped him. He wanted to ignore it, but then Ziva reminded him that it could be work and with a sign he grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist and heading back into the bedroom.

The ringing had stopped by the time he made it to his bedroom and thinking it was not that important headed back for the bedroom, but the ringing started again. Tony turned back around, searching for his cellphone until he found it on the kitchen counter. "DiNozzo," he answered out of breath.

"Tony!" Tony moved his cellphone a small distance from his ear, trying to drown out Abby's high pitch squeals.

"Hey, Abbs." Tony chuckled, rolling his eyes at the goth's enthusiasm for answering the phone. "What's up?" He asked, trying to end this conversation as soon as possible, so he could join his very much hot naked wife in the shower.

"I was thinking that Timmy, you and I should go out for drinks later tonight?" Abby said excitedly. The past few days Abby had been clingier to her coworkers, caused by Kate's death and the fear of losing them as well. She'd been planning team outings every chance she could. For the most part Tony had refused, but he had gone along for a couple when Abby showed up in his apartment and dragged him there.

This time as much as Tony would have loved to tag along, he knew that Abby would never think about inviting Ziva to their team outing and he couldn't very well leave without her. So he quickly came up with a plausible lie that wouldn't require much interrogation from Abby. "I can't, sorry Abs. My frat brothers are coming down and we already have the night planned. Maybe another night?"

Tony heard Abby sigh. He really expected her to fight him on this, but surprisingly she didn't. "Yeah sure, but I'll hold you to that. Have fun Tony," but Tony could hear the disappointment in Abby's voice. "I'll just go with Timmy."

He felt bad, really, for canceling on Abby, but his wife came first in these types of situations. "Love ya Abbs." He added in the hope that Abby wouldn't hold this against him.

"Love you too Tony." He heard the phone dial and closed his phone, remembering that he was still in only a towel and his wife was in the shower waiting for him.

He jumped in the shower, dropping kisses on his wife's shoulder blade. "Who was that?" She asked.

"Abby," Tony continued to trail kisses down his wife's body, "asked me to go for drinks with her and McGee tonight."

"Oh," was all Ziva responded, but Tony knew that there was something that was bothering her.

He stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, forcing her to meet his gaze. "I said no, honey."

"You can go if you want Tony." Ziva turned her gaze elsewhere, grabbing the shampoo bottle for a distraction.

"Not without you I won't, so we either go out with Paul and Sophie or you and I have our own party. You and I are a package deal. I won't go without you, okay?" Tony reassured her. He knew it would be hard to hid they're marriage from the team. But just because they had to act like they weren't married didn't mean that Tony was going to ditch his wife, especially after she had just gotten back, to go out with the team. Ziva was more important to him.

"Toda, but maybe we shall see if Paul and Sophie might want to come over here." Until she could make sure that mossad wasn't watching she wanted to refrain from going with Tony to those types things as much as possible.

"Whatever you want, honey." Tony placed a kiss on Ziva's lips in hopes of starting what they were planning on finishing in the shower. "Now back to what we came for." Ziva seemed to agree and gave in to whatever it was Tony was doing to her.

**NCIS**

After their shower adventure, that ended with both having to shower in freezing water, both now sat on the couch Tony on one end, Ziva's feet in his lap, watching I love Lucy reruns, while Ziva read The Scarlett Pimpernel translated into Hebrew. Mindlessly Tony grabbed Ziva's feet, messaging them. This pleased her, relaxing a bit at his touch. But when Tony's phone vibrated, he stopped and Ziva groaned from the lose of contact. The massage felt amazing, but as quickly as he stopped he started again. "Paul wants to know if it okay to meet up at one." Ziva looked at her watch, it was barely eleven. At Ziva's approval Tony sent Paul a quick reply.

"I feel like I have not seen them in forever." Ziva replied placing her bookmark on the page she left off, closing the book and setting it on the coffee table.

"That's because you haven't seen them since a week before we got married. I haven't seen Sophie since either. I saw Paul after you left when I got the plague. That's when he told me about Sophie's pregnancy." Tony took back Ziva's feet and started massaging them like he had been moments ago.

"I did not remember. I will need to congratulate them." Both returned to what they had been doing, Tony watching TV and Ziva to her book. Moments passed before Ziva sighed and once again closed her book. There were important things that plagued Ziva and were preventing her from concentrating on her book. "Tony," Ziva called his attention.

"Hmm," Tony turned to look at Ziva.

"I think we should move." Ziva didn't know how to approach the situation and thus started with the easiest of topics.

"What? Why?" Knowing this was to be a serious conversation Tony muted the TV, turning to look at his wife.

"Knowing my father, I have a feeling that he will have mossad watch me closely and this is where I stay every time I come to America. If they were to catch us living together they will be quick to report to my father. I think it will be safer if we move somewhere new and this way there will be no suspicions. Also, what if McGee, Abby or Gibbs were to stop by and see me here. What would they think?" When it came to their marriage Ziva didn't want to take any chances.

"I hadn't thought about that. Not that the team stops by much, but knowing how Abby's been acting recently I wouldn't doubt her popping by to make sure I'm okay. Okay, so when do you want to start house shopping?" As painful as it would be to go look at houses and have to pack everything and unpack Tony was excited to find the house that he would be able to start a family in.

"A house? Tony, do you not think that is a bit much? It is just the two of us."

Tony shrugged. "I say why not. We're married and I personally could use some more space. You know a guest room, not that we ever have guests, an office, and maybe a media room so I can fit my growing collection of movies. Honestly I think a house would be better and you never know maybe in a few years our family could expand." They never talked about kids and Tony wasn't sure if he wanted them. He definitely knew he wasn't ready for them now, but being married to Ziva he'd wondered what it would be like to be a dad and maybe in a couple of years down the road he'd be able to find out.

The idea sounded appeasing to Ziva to have their own home. She didn't know about a family right now, but maybe in a few years like Tony had mentioned. She hadn't given much thought to the idea of having children. She knew that as long as she was still with mossad that would not be possible, but maybe now that she was in America and with NCIS there would still be a chance that she would get to experience being a mother. "That does sound nice Mr. DiNozzo. What do you say about going tomorrow?" Ziva wanted to go as soon as possible. The longer they stayed in Tony's apartment the greater the risk grew of her father finding out about them.

"Okay, I'll call my realtor and see what she can find in such short notice." Tony understood how crucial it was for Ziva to not get caught by her father and so he would do everything in his power to make sure that didn't happen even, if it meant going house hunting tomorrow instead of spending it at home relaxing with his adorable wife. Tony searched for Janet's Green's number on his contacts and dialed immediately. "Toda," Ziva whispered as he waited for someone to pick up on the other end.

Tony stayed on the phone a while, going over all the details and requirements Tony wanted in a home, three bedrooms, media room, an office and a big backyard, to make the search easier. Janet told him she would call back later in the day once she'd found something to set up when and where they would meet tomorrow. "It's all set. She'll call me later with whatever she finds."

"Thank you," Ziva went over to Tony's side of the couch and kissed her husband. Ziva did not deserve how caring he was towards her, but that only made her love him more. Tony glanced down at his watch and noticed that if they didn't get a move on it they would be late to their lunch with their friends. "We need to start getting ready Zi."

**NCIS**

An hour later the couple walked into Olive Garden, jotting down their name on the waiting list. Paul and Sophie arrived shortly after, greeting the couple with a hug. "Ziva, I've missed you." Sophie told the Israeli woman.

Ziva pulled apart from the hug and looked Sophie up and down trying to find evidence of her pregnancy, but there wasn't anything there yet. "I believe congratulations are in order." Ziva gave the woman a sincere smile.

"Thank you, I'm seven weeks pregnant today." The woman smiled placing her hand on her flat stomach.

Meanwhile the guys were saying hello to each other as well. With a big grin Tony told Paul that Ziva was here indefinitely and his friend smiled, glad that his friends were finally catching a break. They deserved this.

The hostess called "Tony table of 4" and the group rose, following a red-haired teen to their table. "Your server will be right with you." She said, leaving them with menus and a smile.

"It's really been too long since we all last hung out together." Paul said and the three others agreed. He turned to look at Tony and then back at Ziva. "So, Tony here tells me you guys will be working together?" Ziva nodded and Paul let out a chuckle, knowing full well that would not work out for them. "How's that going to work? You guys can't seem to keep your hands off of each other." Ziva glanced down to her lap, to find that her and Tony's hand were intertwined.

"With a lot of self restraint from the both of us." Tony sighed. "I will admit though as hard as it's going to be to not call Ziva by a pet name or go over and kiss her, it's fun messing with each other." Tony laughed, running his finger back and forth on the back of Ziva's hand.

"So you two have already worked together?" Sophie asked.

Ziva nodded. "Yes. Twice actually and like Tony said, at the beginning it was a bit frustrating not having the liberties we have at home. But once we figured out the rules it became a fun game." Tony shrugged at the odd looks the other couple was giving them.

Wanting to get the attention off them Tony flipped through the menu, hoping the others would follow suite. It wasn't long before they all knew what was to be ordered and the waitress came over, taking their orders.

While they waited for their food the couples indulged in conversation catching each other up on their lives, what movies where out, and Tony even mentioned that they would be buying a house soon. "Well you'll need to throw a housewarming party as soon as you move." Sophie suggested cheerily.

"Well if you don't mind it just being the four of us then sure." Tony said in a joking matter. But in all honestly it saddened him a bit that he wasn't able to include the team.

"Doesn't matter to us. A new house calls for celebration. Plus we can always invite Mark, heard he has a new girlfriend, and there's Greg and Margo."

"You are starting to sound like Abby." Tony chuckled. "It's a deal, we need to find a house first before we have a party." The food arrived suspending all further conversations.

Their food arrived shortly after and everything looked quite delicious. Like always, the couple tasted from the others and after a couple of bites Ziva came to the conclusion that she liked her husband's dish more and continued to pick at it, leaving her dish intact. Tony took notice, switching their plates. Ziva smiled gratefully, returning to eat her food.

During the course of lunch it was established that they would all head back to Tony and Ziva's place. So, dessert was ordered to go and when the check came Tony and Paul fought over who was to pay. Not wanting to be in the middle of their husband's argument, the ladies excused themselves to use the restroom. "How are you really doing Ziva?" Sophie asked as soon as they had made it far enough from the table so the men could not hear.

Ziva normally didn't share her feelings except with Tony and only then it was what she wanted to tell him, but with Sophie with almost ten years of friendship she had learned that sharing with the young blonde woman wasn't always a bad thing. "I am happy. I am glad to finally be with Tony and to know that there is not a time limit to my stay." Ziva gave Sophie a sincere smile and that was enough of that information.

The women made it back to the table where their husbands were waiting with the desserts in to-go containers. Each husband wrapped an arm around their wife's waist, placed a gentle kiss on their lips and walked out to their cars. Tony drove back to the apartment because Paul and Sophie were following behind and if Ziva had been driving they wouldn't have been able to keep up.

Back at the apartment Sophie and Ziva started on snacks, while Tony and Paul tried to settle on a movie. The woman came back to the living room carrying a fruit platter; cheese assortments, chips and popcorn, while Tony and Paul continued to argue. "If you do not decide I will pick the movie." Tony knowing that Ziva had a soft spot for chick flicks agreed to watch the movie that Paul had picked out, The Italian Job. Both couples settled on the couch, Ziva curling up to Tony, her head on his chest. Tony wrapping his arm around her shoulders and resting on her side while the other couple did the same.

They all enjoyed the action filled movie but Ziva and Tony kept commenting how certain parts reminded them of past cases or missions. Ziva was taking after Tony and wouldn't keep quiet during movies. Paul and Sophie kept shushing them and glancing at them oddly. Ziva blushed, cuddling up to Tony further.

Once the movie ended, Tony suggested some games and he went to grab scrabble, scattegories, dominoes and monopoly out of the hall closet. They all voted that they would start with scattegories, playing each individually. Tony and Ziva's competitive nature came out and the couple exchanged not too nice words. On several occasions Ziva used the fact that she was multilingual to her advantage. Using Spanish, French, and Italian words apart from English giving everyone an unfair advantage, but no one except Tony seemed to mind. Paul and Sophie found it amusing how competitive their friends were and focused more on that than the actual game. But when Ziva was in the lead by way more points than Tony things got a bit rowdy. That was when Paul suggested they play charades in teams this time, so that Tony and Ziva couldn't fight with one another. But that had been wishful thinking on Paul's part because although they were on the same team they still managed to argue.

All in all it had been a good night even with Ziva and Tony's constant bickering. Both Tony and Ziva said good night to Paul and Sophie, agreeing to meet soon. Sophie made Ziva promise that once they were moved in and settled into their new home they would call them for the housewarming party.

Once the couple was gone Tony pulled Ziva into a hug and kissed her with such force that it would have seemed that he had not been allowed to kiss her in months. Just when things were heating up between them Tony's phone rang. "Ignore it," Tony mumbled against Ziva's lips, following his own advice.

"It could be the realtor Tony," Ziva said pulling away from Tony. As much as she wanted to continue she knew that it was important they take the realtor's call.

Tony groaned, but answered his cellphone nonetheless. Ziva took advantage of the call to make a cup of tea while she waited for Tony to finish with his call. "She found two houses and is still waiting for confirmation on another one."

"That is a lot for such short notice." Tony nodded, wrapping his arms around Ziva's waist, kissing the side of her neck. She leaned into his touch, but the whistling of the kettle pot made Ziva pull apart from Tony and turn her attention to finishing her tea. Tony headed back to the living room to pop in a movie of his choice, knowing that Ziva's tea meant she wanted some alone time. But instead she'd surprised him by joining him on the couch, snuggling up to his side.

**Sunday**

Tony and Ziva arrived just on time, they'd made it there before the realtor, but she wasn't far behind. This allowed them a few moments to look around the exterior of the house and by the looks of it they found the house quite charming. "Good morning Mr. DiNozzo." The realtor greeted Tony.

"Morning, Janet." Tony tightened his hold on Ziva's waist. "This is my wife, Ziva." He introduced.

Janet offered them a warm smile, explaining the key features of the house. "This house is two stories, four bedrooms and has a media room." The couple nodded. "Shall we go in?"

As soon as they walked in both Tony and Ziva knew that this house wasn't going to work out. There were green, red and blue-patched carpets, yellow walls, and it was falling apart. Of course the carpets and walls could be replaced but they didn't want to spend too much time and effort on the house. But wanting to give it the benefit of the doubt they continued to look through. They had to admit the house was spacious, but overall the house didn't have much potential. They left quickly and headed to the following home.

At the next house Tony and Ziva instantly fell in love it was small, warm, cozy, three bedrooms, media room, nice patio, and within their price range but the one thing that kept them from saying yes right away was that the house was located forty-five minutes from the Navy Yard. That was a bit too far for them to commute everyday and with traffic it would only be worse. The realtor was running out of options.

Tony and Ziva waited in the front yard, while the realtor called to make other appointments. Tony glanced over to the street to get a feel of the neighborhood and saw someone that looked a bit like McGee. The McGee lookalike was glancing over in their direction and Tony worried that they might have been caught. Quickly he grabbed Ziva's hand and ran into the house. "What is going on Tony?" Ziva said startled.

"We might have been caught." Tony said out of breath. "I think McGee is here. How are we going to explain this Zi? They are going to find out." Tony panicked, hyperventilating.

Ziva pressed a kiss on Tony's lips to stop his rambling. When she heard him say that they had been caught she panicked. "Tony I do not think that any member of the team would be over in this area. It is too far away from where they live ahuvi." Ziva pressed another kiss on Tony's lips.

Tony not wanting to let go kept the kissing going. He felt like he could never get enough of kissing Ziva. "I'm sorry I guess you're right." Tony kissed Ziva once again.

"I am always right." Ziva smirked pulling Tony towards her.

But the realtor came back breaking whatever was going on between Tony and Ziva. "I have one more house that I can show you but it is also in this general area. I know you don't want something this far, but would you still want to see it?"

Tony looked over at Ziva to see what she thought. "Lo," Ziva shock her head.

"No, I think we will pass. Distance is really a deal breaker for us." Tony explained.

"Don't get discouraged. It is very unlikely that a couple ever finds a house on the first try. I will keep looking with all the descriptions you have given me and I will call you as soon as I find more options."

Tony and Ziva thanked the realtor, heading out of the house. "So what did you think?" Tony took Ziva's hand as Tony drove back towards the general area of their apartment.

"This is so far my favorite, but the it is too far." Ziva seemed a bit disappointed.

"I will just tell Janet to find us similar houses to this one, but a bit closer." Tony had seen the way Ziva's eyes lit up when they saw the house. He was determined to get her the perfect house.

"Ani ohevt otakh."

"I love you too." Tony replied.


	8. 3X6, The Voyeur's Web

**Guys I am so sorry for the delay. There is absolutely no excuse for my tardiness, but alas life has gotten in the way. Hopefully I can stick to my schedule of tues/Friday. But I thank you for your patience and reviews. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

Monday morning brought many changes to the DiNozzo couple. They'd needed to adjust to the fact that they would be working together and the need to hide their secret. Acting as just coworkers was going to be hard for them, but they were determined to make it work, they needed to keep the secret now more than ever.

Ziva had quietly woken up early for her run, leaving her husband to sleep. But at her return, she'd woken him purposely with kisses, laughing as he swatted at the place she kissed. Tony was definitely not a morning person, which sometimes made things difficult for them, as she was a morning person. But as Tony realized that Ziva was kissing him, he'd smiled. It was definitely the best way to wake up in the mornings. Not wanting to leave the comfort of his warm bed, Tony had tried to pull Ziva into it, but she'd refused, as she was sweaty and gross from her run. Instead, she'd persuaded him to follow her into the showers for some morning sex, not caring that he was up a whole hour before his alarm.

This was the cause for the stupid grin plastered on Tony's face as he walked into the squad room. He'd greeted McGee on his way in, walking to his desk and starting up his computer as it turned on with a roar. The probationary agent sent a sideways glance to Tony. If he was surprised at Tony's change of attitude from only a few days ago, he didn't say anything. Instead he barely mumbled a reply, ignoring Tony as he sighed deeply, checking his bank statement for ridiculous charges that had been over the course of two days. Charges that he had obviously not made.

Disappointed that he'd been ignored by his probie, Tony sighed glancing in the direction of Ziva's acclaimed desk. It was empty, much like he had expected, but there was an ounce of hope that maybe she'd by some miracle made it before him. What he really wanted was to drive to work together, but Ziva insisted that she take the bus. He'd argued that if was about being caught that they simply walk in minutes after each other, but she'd shaken her head, saying that she had some matters to take care of before work. Again there had been a failed attempt to convince her to allow him to drive, but she was stubborn that she should take the bus. Tony sighed, defeated. If years of being with Ziva had taught him anything, it was to not question nor argue once Ziva had made a decision. It was better to go along with it and hope for the best, which is what he was doing currently, hoping that she was safe and would make it to work on time. It wasn't that he was scared that she was out there somewhere unprotected, Tony knew she could take care of herself, hell if anyone was to be unsafe it was the others, but still he didn't like the idea of his wife somewhere out there.

Worrying about Ziva was putting a damper on Tony's mood, so instead of continuing to ruin it he decided to bug McGee to distract himself for a bit. He'd asked McGee a question about a favor he'd asked, but the probie was agitated and being a bit short with the senior field agent. Tony received the hint, but still he wouldn't let that stop him. McGee sighed, hating that he was acting like Tony at the moment. He'd apologized and proceeded to explain that there were bogus charges to his bank account. Charges he clearly had not made.

Gibbs walked in when Tony explained to him the trivial knowledge of the porno that had been rented with his credit card and the possibility of identity theft. Choosing to ignore what his agents had been speaking about, he ordered McGee to gas the truck as he chucked him the keys. With a glance at Ziva's empty desk from their boss, was enough to inform the agents that he was not happy with his liaison officer. "Where the hell is David?" He grumbled.

Tony cursed mentally. It was unlike his wife to be late and of course her first time would be at her new job, with Gibbs as her boss. Quickly tried to formulate a quick white lie to justify why his wife was late. She wasn't Abby or Gibb's favorite at the moment and her tardiness would not help matters to win over the boss man. "Boss, officer David is uhh…" Tony began, but was cut off by his wife's reply as she hurried into the squad room.

"Late. I took the wrong bus this morning." Ziva stormed into the squad room, removing her hat. She walked between her boss and Tony; ignoring the glare she was certain was coming from Tony. Instead, she walked around to her desk, dropping off her belongings. "Had to walk from the 18th street stop."

Tony grew worried at the revelation of where she had been. That definitely had not been the stop he had dropped her off this morning. He'd made sure to drop her off at a safe destination, waiting for her to load the bus before taking off to work himself. He knew he was overreacting with everything, Ziva could take care of herself, but as a husband he still found himself worrying about the woman. So, he was a mush when it came to his wife, but he didn't care. They'd been far apart for too long, now all he wanted to spend every minute with her, the weekend had not been enough. But at least now there wasn't the fear of having to say goodbye. "That's a rough part of town."

"I've been in worse." She glared at Tony, before turning back to Gibbs. "Won't happen again, Gibbs."

"I know." Came Gibbs gruff reply, before he hugged and stormed out, McGee following closely behind him.

Ziva was to follow, grabbing her gear, but Tony wrapped his fingers around her wrist, stopping her. "Hey, why were you in that part of town Zi? Do you take joy in making me worry?"

Ziva smirked, thinking up a comeback. But one look at her husband told her that at the moment that would not be a smart move. Instead she sighed, heading to take the elevator to join the others. Tony matched her step, waiting for an explanation. "Sophie recommended me this gym. It is run by an ex-marine and his wife I wanted to check it out and on my way back I took the wrong bus." Ziva shrugged.

"That's the mysterious thing you wouldn't let me drive you to this morning?" Ziva nodded. "I would have driven you if you had asked."

"Tony I just went to check out possible gyms. I am fine." The couple stepped onto the elevator in sync, automatically coming to stand next to each other, allowing their lingering hand to brush against one another.

Tony sighed, running a hand down his face. "Look, I know you are used to living on your own and being independent. We both are, but we're married and that means that regardless that I know that you are more than capable of handling yourself I worry about you." Ziva wanted to argue with him, but her gaze softened at his words. He had a point, as much as she was used to living on her own, abiding by her own rules and those of mossad, most of the time, she was married to Tony and she needed to take him into consideration. Of course that would take some time, but she needed to try. "Next time please just let me know where you are going, okay?" Tony cupped her face; his thumb caressing her cheek, taking full advantage of the privacy of the elevator, before contact like that was to cease for the day.

She leaned into his touch, her lips meeting his hand and placing a gentle kiss. Oh how she loved her stubborn, childish, romantic husband. He had his faults, like overreacting to nonsense situations, but she loved him because of that. "I will Tony, I am sorry." They meet for a quick kiss, before the elevator dinged at the arrival of their floor. The agents hurried off, preparing themselves for a full day of work. It would be a long day if they had to keep their distance.

**NCIS**

At the crime scene they'd been able to keep their distance. Gibbs had punished Ziva and forced her to take the wife's statement, while Tony and McGee made the trek down to the death trap that was the car of the petty officer. But in the observation room, with no witness and the darkness of it all, the trill of being caught any moment he couldn't but help to allow a few lingering touches. Standing behind his wife, watching over her as Gibbs was in the interrogation room he began to mindlessly run his hand up and down her arm. Ziva sighed contently, leaning into his touch, but when his hand moved to her stomach and under her shirt, she had to stop him or they would end up on the floor of observation naked.

Her hand jerked on top of Tony's, moving back up to a safer place. "Tony, we are at work!"

"No ones here. I think we're safe." He started to run his hand along the familiar path once again. But Ziva took his hand, shaking her head. "Do you know how hard it's been for me to keep my self control? It's killing me." He whined.

"It is not easy for me either ahava. But I am a better actor than you." She turned around in his arms, giving him a playful slap on his chest. Taking full advantage that they were alone in the viewing room, she kissed him on the lips and pulled away too soon for Tony's liking.

"Why must you taunt me?" Tony pouted crossing his arms.

Ziva was going to make her move, reply in a seductive, taunting manner, but their boss storming out of interrogation kept them from further conversation. Tony and Ziva knew better than to keep their boss waiting, so they too walked out of the viewing room and went after him.

**NCIS**

With the case wrapped up and their case files sitting on Gibbs's desk Tony and Ziva rushed out of NCIS to make their meeting with Janet. Arriving half an hour early Tony parked outside of the town home, dialing Janet's phone. She too was early and was just pulling into the driveway. Despite already knowing that the place would not work out as it was too small for what they needed, they went in. It was a lovely home, stainless steal appliances, hardwood floor, granite countertops and many other modern features.

The dissatisfaction of her customers pushed Janet to want to find them the perfect home. She had one more left on her list and she had a feeling this one could be the one.

From the moment they pulled up to the cozy home on Penn Brook lane Tony and Ziva knew it was the one for them. Only a fifteen-minute drive from the Navy yard, the house was everything that both had wanted, three bedrooms, media room, large backyard. Much like the house they'd liked this one had a small private area in the entrance of the master, which Tony wanted to convert into a library for Ziva. A place she could make her own, keep her books and hide away to read with her cup of tea. The house was gorgeous; it was everything they wanted and much more. Both of them could envision their life in that house.

They continued the walk through the house, ending the tour back in the kitchen where the realtor waited with a packet on information of the house. "Did you like the house?" Tony whispered to Ziva as they approached the realtor.

Ziva nodded. "Ken, it is beautiful."

"What do you guys think of the house?" The realtor asked hopeful.

"Definitely a contender." Tony replied, pulling his wife in closer to him.

"Very well, but I do wish to inform you that this house is a little above the budget that you gave me." The realtor noticed their faces fall. "But I do believe there is some wiggle room for negotiation."

"Maybe we should keep looking." The realtor nodded. As much as she tried to hide it, Tony could see the disappointment in Ziva's gaze. They'd both loved the house, but most importantly Tony wanted to make Ziva happy and he knew what he needed to do.

Janet pulled out a notepad where she had a list of listings ready to be viewed. "Well there is maybe one more I can show you today."

Ziva nodded, but then her phone rang, excusing herself into the next room to take the call. "Shalom."

While Ziva was gone Tony took advantage to work out some details with Janet. It wasn't long before they had come to an agreement, when Ziva returned from her phone call. "Very well then Mr. DiNozzo, I will be expecting your call." Janet held out her hand for Tony to shake. Janet waved a goodbye to Ziva, locking the house behind them as the couple made their way to their car.

In the car Ziva spoke softly. "I wished she would not have shown us this house." Ziva' face fell. She wasn't one to normally care about these types of things. She was the one to make fun of those women on reality tv shows that stressed over the minute details, having everything perfect. After being far apart from her husband so long, she didn't care where she lived as long as it was with him. But there had been something about the process of buying a house with Tony, this house that made her feel like some of those women. She wanted to have something permanent a house that was theirs. She felt as though if maybe if they'd buy a house together, her stay in America was permanent and she would never again have to leave Tony.

Now more than ever Tony was determined to give Ziva what she wanted. He could tell by the way her eyes had lit up in there. He had seen something more in them, something beyond just an excitement for a house. There was something there that Tony couldn't quite put his finger on, but he knew it was important. He had his answer and as much as he hated asking his father for help, he would do it for Ziva. She deserved as much. "Don't worry we will figure it out, okay?" He reassured her, cupping her face. "Want to order pizza and watch movies?" Tony asked in attempts to lighten the mood.

She smiled at her husband. "Sophie called me, she wants me to go with her to watch some chick flick movie that Paul will not go see with her, but I do not know if I want to go." Ziva sighed. "I think movie and pizza with you will be much better."

As much as Tony would have preferred for his wife to stay, her outing with Sophie would give him the opportunity to speak with his father. "Don't worry about me Zi, go out and have some fun. You deserve it." Ziva laced her fingers into Tony's hand. "Now do I need to drop you off with Sophie or do you want to take the car?"

Maybe a girl's night wouldn't be such a bad idea. "I will take the car if you do not mind."

"Not at all, honey, what's mine is your. But seriously we need to check into getting you a car. If you are going to insist on taking separate forms of transportation to work I don't want you riding the bus."

Although sometimes Ziva found it annoying at how overprotective Tony was, at this moment she found it quite charming that he cared for her. "Tony I do not mind taking the bus. I actually quite enjoy it."

Tony rolled his eyes at how stubborn Ziva was being. "Will you at least consider going to look at cars with me? We don't need to agree on something now maybe once we've settled in at our new house we can then decide to go buy a car."

"Okay ahava, I will think about it. But I do not promise anything." Tony knew what that meant that she was just going to make him believe that she was thinking about it but she had already decided not to. But Tony was not going to give up that easily he was going to convince her to get a car even though he didn't know which was worse, Ziva on the road, or Ziva afoot.

**NCIS**

Tony sat on the couch flipping through channels letting the minutes pass before calling his dad. He was hesitant to calm him, wondering if he should really ask him, but as he debated Ziva's disappointed face kept popping into his mind. Tony sighed. He needed to do this and with the ounce of motivation he dialed his dad. But it took Tony six tries of calling and hanging up at the first ring. He'd given up on actually getting through to calling his dad, but one call made it through and he hung up before he realized what he had done. Tony couldn't muster up the courage to call his father. They hadn't spoken in months, so what was he supposed to say hey, dad I got married and need your money to buy a house? He knew they didn't have the best father/son relationship but still that wasn't right.

Before Tony could talk himself out of just forgetting about the whole ordeal his dad was calling him back, apparently that last call had lasted long enough to register as a missed call on his father's phone. Tony let his phone ring, but by the third ring, he sighed deeply, pinched the bridge of his nose, and pressed the call button. "Hey, dad."

"Hey, junior. You called me?" Senior replied.

"Yeah, uh how ya been?"

"Good junior, just closed an important deal this morning. How ya been?" Both men weren't very good at conversation, which always made it very difficult to continue on a regular conversation.

"I've been good dad. I uh, I'm calling because I needed to ask a favor." Tony kept rubbing his sweaty palms on his jeans. He was very prideful and told himself he would never ask his dad for a single penny for as long as he lived. But this was different, this was for Ziva and Tony would swallow his pride and hurt and call his dad if it meant making his wife happy.

"What's on your mind junior?"

Tony rubbed the back of his neck and let out a breath. "I got married to an amazing woman and uh we wanted to buy a house but it's a little over my price range. She fell in love with it and I just want to make her happy. So, what I am trying to say is that if you could loan me that money that I need."

It was quit for a moment as Senior processed the information. His son married? "That amazing woman wouldn't happen to be Ziva now would it?" He only knew that it would be a matter of time for those two. They had been inseparable since they were children and knew that sooner or later they would give in.

"Yeah, it is. But uh, no one knows, especially not Eli. So, I would appreciate it if we could keep this between the two of us."

"No worries son. Congratulations, I knew it would happen sooner or later. You two were inseparable as children. As for the money, send over the information and I will have it transferred to your account no later than tomorrow morning."

"Thanks dad I really appreciate this. I will pay you back with interest as soon as I can." Tony was beyond surprised. First, his dad approved of his marriage and two that he had been so willing to give him the money. Maybe his dad did care about him.

"Don't worry about it junior. Consider it a wedding gift." Tony actually smiled.

"Thanks dad, we really appreciate that." They said their goodbyes and as soon as they hung up Tony sent his dad the information and was quick to call his realtor to let her know to put in an offer. Tony really hoped that this worked out because for once they needed something to go in their favor. Ziva had already had so many disappointments in her life. He hoped that he would be the one to change that for her. Show her that life wasn't all about disappointments.

**Tuesday**

"Now listen sweetie I need a table on the terrace for Friday at nine o'clock. It's nonnegotiable. Tell Valentino Tony DiNozzo says hi. We're friends." Tony was leaning in his work chair, feet propped up on his desk. He had finally talked to his father and after he spoke with his realtor this morning it seemed that that the owners had accepted. So, Tony was making plans so that he could tell Ziva about the surprise that awaited them. "Grazie, mi amore." Tony hung up the phone sending a smirk over to his wife.

"Valentino's huh, must be a special occasion." Tony sent a plea to Ziva to forgive him. She just brushed it off, smiling, and shrugging. She didn't care that no one would know that the date was for them. As long as they both knew, she was happy.

Tony wished that he could tell McGee that the date was for him and Ziva, but seeing as that wasn't a possibility he opted for another choice. "I'm talking Monica on a date." Tony rose for his chair, a file in hand and went to stand in front of McGee's desk.

McGee suggested a place half the price, but Tony knew Ziva deserved nothing if not the best. He told McGee that Monica wouldn't appreciate apple bee's but what he really wanted to shout out was that Ziva deserved better than that.

"Wow Tony you must really like this girl." Ziva went along with his little charade.

"She's an exotic beauty with the whole package, beauty, class, sophistication, all that's left is to pick the perfect gift." He already had the perfect gift picked out. That was the purpose of this dinner.

"Lucky girl." Ziva smiled. McGee missed the glances that husband and wife exchanged.

Tony shook his head. "No, I'm the lucky one." He noticed Ziva blush a little at his comment, but he had meant that. Ziva made him feel like the luckiest man and maybe that was a cliché but he didn't care.

**NCIS**

Coming back from the crime scene and interviewing the website creator, Tony and Ziva stopped by their favorite Chinese place to pick up lunch for everyone. Ziva took advantage of the semi empty squad room to sit at Tony's desk to enjoy lunch together. These were the moments that Tony and Ziva looked forward to throughout the day. "Have you heard from the realtor?" Tony nodded, mouth full of chow mein.

"Yes, she hasn't been able to find anymore houses." He saw the discouraged look on Ziva's face and it pained him to see her so disappointed.

"Maybe we should expand our options." Ziva was upset that they weren't able to get the house they wanted but she wasn't going to let that show. She didn't want to be one of those women that worried where they live or needed everything to be exactly perfect. As long as she was with Tony she would be happy, but still it would have been nice for things to go in their favor for once.

"No, Zi, I don't want you to give up on your perfect house. We keep the options and we just wait, okay." Ziva nodded but she still seemed a bit disappointed and Tony wished nothing more than to lean over his desk and give his wife a kiss. But McGee decided to make an appearance into the squad room forcing them to go back into their act of simply bittering coworkers. They finished lunch and got to work back on the case.

**Wednesday**

That morning when Tony had left Ziva at the bus stop he decided that he needed to make a pit stop before going into work. Ziva had been kind of down lately and instead of waiting until Friday he moved up his reservations for tonight. So, now Tony wandered aimlessly around the mall searching for the perfect gift for Ziva.

It had taken him all morning but he finally found it. He rushed back to the Navy Yard possibly breaking all speeding laws but he couldn't afford to get another head slap from his boss nor be kept in later than necessary. He had reservations that he could not afford to miss.

Tony ran in late to the office with the gift he had bought for Ziva. He pulled out a silk purple nightgown. "Do you like it?" McGee was in the squad room so he used the excuse that he needed a females opinion but really he just needed to make sure she liked her present and build up telling her about the reservations for tonight.

Ziva smirked at what Tony had pulled out of the bag. But she was confused as to why Tony had bought it. They didn't have plans. Not that she objected to gifts from her husband, especially none that led to certain activities in the bedroom.

McGee on the other hand rolled his eyes at the kind of gift Tony had gotten. McGee would have opted for flowers, some jewelry, something more meaningful and less repulsive but he was much more sentimental than Tony was. That man would never be tamed and he almost felt sorry for the guy if it wasn't for that little part of him that was jealous of Tony.

Gibbs walked in while Tony was holding the dress up to his body and asking for his coworkers opinion. Gibbs told him it wasn't his color and told them to grab their gear they had a case. McGee suppressed a chuckle, Ziva smirked and Tony jumped startled. They all rushed to grab their gear and hop on the elevator before their boss left them behind.

**NCIS**

The case wrapped up with the wife admitting to the murder. Gibbs took care of her departure and the three agents were left to finish up their paperwork. It was late when they finally finished, but thankfully Tony had made late reservations in anticipation of this. Tony waited for McGee and Gibbs to leave before he walked over to Ziva's desk. "You ready ma chérie?" Ziva tilted her head to her side and wondered what it was she was ready for. "We have reservations tonight."

"I thought that was just to make McGee think that you were going on a date. I did not think that those reservation were actually real." Ziva was gathering her belongings to head out for the night.

"They were very much real. I may have used Monica as cover but you and I, babe, we're going out tonight." Tony wanted so much to wrap his arms around Ziva's waist, placing kisses up and down her neck. But they were in the office and a light brush of her hand would have to suffice for now. "You ready to go?"

Ziva nodded at a loss for words. Once again she felt like she was not worthy of Tony's love. He was a wonderful husband, always thoughtful, always understanding, and at times she felt like she never gave anything back. "Yes, thank you Tony."

"Anything for you."

**NCIS**

"Tony, I feel underdressed for this place." Ziva fidgeted with her clothes, pulling her wild curly hair of its ponytail holder to try and look a bit more presentable.

"You look gorgeous, Zi." Tony took her hand from across the table, pulling it up to his lips and kissing it gently. He always knew how to make her feel better with simple acts of love.

"Seriously, Tony, I am in cargo pants and combat boots. There is nothing gorgeous about this." She waved her hand up and down her body for emphasis. She knew Tony would always think she looked gorgeous regardless of what she was wearing and she didn't care. But at a restaurant like this she was starting to feel a bit self-conscious. The other women all had nice dresses and looked presentable and then there was her.

"You look gorgeous to me and that's all that should matter." Ziva leaned over the table to take Tony's lips to hers. She just couldn't resist him when he said things like that.

The waitress chose that moment to make an appearance, clearing her throat to get the couples attention. Ziva and Tony blushed, as they pulled apart and composed themselves. "Hello, my name is Amanda and I will be your server for the evening. Can I start you off with something to drink?" She said too chipper for both their likings.

"Two glasses of Pinot Noir." Tony held up two fingers as the waitress jotted down their drink orders. She asked if they liked any appetizers, but Tony shook his head no and she promised to be back shortly with their drink orders.

When the waitress returned with their glasses of wine Tony ordered the calzone alla barese, mini calzones stuffed with mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and fresh bazil and Ziva ordered the bruschetta con fave e verdure, a puree of fave beans and seasonal vegetables with crispy bread.

With the waitress gone, Tony rose from his seat, going to stand in front of Ziva and extending his hand out to her. "May I have this dance, Mrs. DiNozzo?" The live band was playing some salsa music and Tony knew just how much she loved to dance to this type of music. He still struggled and was a bit embarrassed to dance so badly in front of others. But he was learning for Ziva and now was the perfect time to show off some of his dance moves and please his amazing wife.

Ziva took his hand and allowed him to lead him to the small dance floor that was placed at the far end of the restaurant. "Let me lead okay." Normally when Tony would dance with Ziva it was always she that lead because Tony had absolutely no idea what he was doing but now it seemed that he wanted to lead and Ziva was a bit scared to the say the least. But she allowed him to lead. At first Tony seemed a bit tense and nervous but as the song continued he relaxed and moved more smoothly.

Ziva was actually impressed. Her husband did not know how to dance and was a total train wreck on the dance floor. But this man standing before her was no train wreck and now moved with graze and elegance. He was a bit rusty but it was such an improvement to before. "Where did you learn to dance?"

Tony spun Ziva around and brought her back to him. Their bodies brushed up to one another, "I've been taking some lessons. I know how much you love to dance, so I wanted to learn so that we could go dancing more often." Tony shrugged as they swayed to the music a slower song now playing.

"I see the lessons have paid off. You are much sexier on the dance floor now." Ziva pulled herself closer to Tony, her face only inches from his. If people hadn't been watching Tony would have captured her lips in his. But they didn't want to draw any more attention to themselves.

Instead, Tony leaned to her ear, whispering "we will continue this at home."

They continued to dance for a couple of more songs until they noticed their waitress, Amanda, head towards their table. Ziva interlaced their fingers and they headed towards their table to indulge in their meals. Everything looked absolutely delicious, both Tony and Ziva did not regret their choices. Tony had never failed her when it came to ordering food.

Once plates were cleaned of the meals, they had both ended bit stuff but Tony had insisted that they both share some dessert. They settled on the cannoli and when Ziva excused herself to go to the lady's room Tony took the opportunity to ask the waitress to add a little something to the plate décor.

Just as Ziva returned, the waitress returned with their dessert and two glasses of champagne. "Tony," she gasped, trying to hold back tears as she read what the plate contained, 'welcome home'.

Nervous, Tony cleared his throat and rubbed his hands on his thighs to rid them of the bit of perspiration. "I know you've already been here for about a week but I never actually got to welcome you home." Tony genuinely smiled. It felt so good to finally call this Ziva's home. They had waited so long and it was now a reality and soon they would have a house that would be theirs and not just his apartment. "Secondly, I have some news that has to do with home. I called Janet yesterday while you were with Sophie to make an offer. She called me back this morning and said that the owners have accepted it. We have to wait about forty days but beside that the house is pretty much ours Zi."

"But Tony we can not afford it."

"Don't worry about, I spoke to my dad, and its taken care of. The house is ours Ziva and I want you to allow yourself to be happy about this." Ziva leaned over the table and kissed her husband. In that moment she didn't care if they were in a restaurant filled with people all she cared about what thanking her husband properly for what he had done.

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?" Ziva was beyond herself. She had really loved that house. She wasn't one to get attached to personal things but there was something about that house that had just attracted her.

"Everyday but it doesn't hurt to hear it again."

"I love you Anthony DiNozzo."

"And I love you Ziva DiNozzo. How about we get out of here and I show you just how much I love you." Tony was already waving down the waitress so he could order the check.

"If it is half of what I love you then yes." They were both so desperate to get out of the restaurant and home that they had totally forgotten about their dessert. Tony paid in cash so that it would be quicker and they sped home so that they could spend the rest of their night as husband and wife and embracing in the love that both felt for one another.


	9. 3X7, Honor Code

**I am so sorry for the delay in updates. As much as I would like to update everyday for you I simply cannot, as RL will not allow me to. College has come in full gear and I am finding less and less time to update, so because of this I think for the time being I can only update once a week. This story will be updated on Fridays and Love is a Privilege will be updated Saturdays. Once again I'm very sorry for this. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

**Saturday- Sunday**

The workweek had been a long one, filled with late nights and early mornings. It had been a hassle for Ziva, riding the bus. But of course she was stubborn and insisted on riding the bus saying it was essential to keeping up appearances. Tony kept persisting that they needed to buy a second car, but Ziva wouldn't give in. She kept wanting to ride the bus no matter the time, but Tony the protective husband he was would force her to ride home with him if they left the Navy Yard late. This had prompted Ziva to realize that she definitely could not keep relying on public transportation and gave in to Tony's please to buy a car. She'd done some research during the week, in the few breaks that she had between cases, when she'd realized the hassle and was now leaning between a sports car and a cooper. Tony of course, had sided with the sports car, calling the cooper girly and puny. But in the end it was to be her car and she had the final say.

Saturday morning had them in a mini dealership, walking up and down the aisles of cars. Tony walked behind, making faces at the minis. It wasn't that he hated them; there was just something that he disliked about them. He kept trying to convince her to think of a mustang or something much more practical, but after test-driving the car Tony had too fallen in love with the mini. The only problem now was that his wife was more of a menace on the road with such a small car. Tony had quite a laugh during their test drive, watching the car salesman panicked face as Ziva drove through the streets of D.C. He was sweating bullets, gripping onto the door and shutting his eyes every time Ziva came close to hitting any car.

After spending all morning and most of the afternoon at the dealers, Ziva had walked away the proud owner of a black-stripped cooper S, upgraded luxuries and sunroof. She loved her car; it was small and fast, easier for her to weave through traffic in the streets of D.C., which ultimately only worried Tony more. His wife was a menace out on the road. He hated how she drove, but there was nothing he could do about it. He just kept his mouth shut and supported Ziva on her purchase.

**NCIS**

Now with the car purchase out of the way, Tony wanted to celebrate by treating Ziva to lunch. But first they needed to head back to the apartment to drop off one of the cars and of course, it was Tony's, as Ziva wanted to drive her new car.

The Mexican restaurant Tony had picked was fairly empty for a Saturday afternoon and they were seated quickly. It was obvious from the start that the host had been attracted to Ziva. Tony in this case was rather amused as the host was practically a teenage McGee, socially awkward. He watched as he grabbed a couple of extra menus and held them out in front of him, blushing and stuttering as he informed them of their waitresses name. Ziva without realizing it, was not helping matters with how she thanked him and smiled. The boy became more nervous as his pants tightened even more and his face reddened. It was probably not often that he spoke to gorgeous women with such a seductive accent.

As soon as the host left Tony couldn't keep his laugh in much longer and bust out laughing. "What?" Ziva glared at her husband, wanting him to compose himself as people were starting to stare.

"You don't realize the extent at which you affect guys, do you?" Tony asked in disbelief, as it seemed that Ziva was oblivious to the exchange. Ziva continued to glare at her husband, confused as to what he was referring to. "He was clearly trying to hide something in the lower areas and he could barely get a word out edgewise. You're lucky he didn't faint on us."

"I did not do anything." Ziva argued back, rolling her eyes as she opened her menu.

"You didn't have to Zi. He's a teenage boy, your exotic, hot and have what I might add a very seductive accent."

Ziva smiled behind her menu. Although she wouldn't ever admit it to him, Ziva loved when Tony talked about her like he had won the greatest price in the world. It made her feel special, something that she had only felt from her mother and siblings, but once they had died the adoration had ended and Ziva had only Tony left. "I do not know what I want. Do you?"

Tony sighed as he felt Ziva retreating from the conversation. Not wanting to push her, he went along with the quick change in conversation. "I think I am going to go with the fajitas. Keep it simple." Tony shrugged as he closed his menu and set it aside.

"Then I think I will go with the flautas." Ziva too, set her menu aside.

It was quiet for a couple of minutes as Ziva debated whether or not to bring up this topic now or wait for a more convenient time. But now seemed a good time as any and she really needed to discuss this with Tony, as it had been bothering her for a couple of days now. Sighing Ziva looked up at Tony, her face suddenly turned serious. "Tony, I think I need to get my own apartment."

Tony's eyes widen and his mouth dropped. He had not been expecting those words to come out of Ziva's mouth, her own apartment. Hadn't she been the one to suggest that they buy a house for them and now she was talking about buying her own apartment. What had changed in the last couple of days? She had been so excited when he had told her about the house. Why now? "What, why, Zi?" Tony stuttered out.

Ziva took Tony's hand, hoping it would have a calming effect. Clearly she had given him the wrong idea and needed to clarify before her husband had a panic attack. "Ahava I will not be moving into said apartment. I think that I just need to have an apartment for appearance only, for mossad and for NCIS. If someone goes digging and trust me they will, will it not look suspicious that I do not have an address in my file?"

Tony nodded, releasing the breath he was holding. "I suppose you are right." As much as she had a point he still didn't like the idea of a separate apartment. He felt like it was a way for her to have an escape if anything were to go wrong and that meant she was planning for things to go wrong between them. "Why can't you just use the house as your address, then you wouldn't need to get an apartment?"

Ziva understood Tony's thinking on the matter. She understood that he thought this was an escape for her, but she was not thinking about that. She was thinking more along the lines of Mossad watching her every move. Now more than ever did they need to be careful because her dad would have watchful eyes on them as he didn't trust Tony and Ziva together in a foreign country. "I do not think that would be wise. Abby and McGee are very nosy and as neither trusts me much at the moment, I would not put it past them to dig up my information and pay me a visit. They would then see you or your stuff there. How would we explain that to them?" Ziva shook her head. "There is no other choice. The safest is for me to just have an apartment."

Tony sighed. "I can't argue with you there Ziva."

"Then what is it that is bothering you?" Ziva needed Tony to voice his concern, so she could put him at ease. There was no way that she would bail on him.

"I know you Z, I know that you tend to run when things get hard and by you having that apartment." Tony rubbed the back of his neck. "I just feel like you are anticipating for things to go wrong between us and then run off to the apartment to never return. I've lived apart from you long enough, I don't want to go through it again." He looked out the window next to their table, not wanting to her to see him so vulnerable at the moment. He needed a moment to pull up his walls and protect his heart.

"Tony, look at me." Tony continued to stare out the window. Ziva sighed as she placed a finger under his chin and brought his gaze to meet hers. "I do not intend to vacate that apartment, regardless if we are fighting, but if it will put your mind at ease I will rent the apartment to others, that why you are certain that I do not plan to abandon you." Tony nodded. "I do not want to live without you either, Tony. Do you understand that?" Again he nodded. "Good, now give me a kiss."

Tony did as his wife asked, his mood lifting a bit. He still felt uneasy about Ziva's decision, but his wife's assurance had been enough to give him some peace of mind. He'd come to understand her reasoning for it and would support her even though he felt like it was a horrible reason. "Okay, Zi if you are certain that you need to get an apartment I will respect your decision."

"I am, toda yakiri." Ziva smiled at him gratefully.

"Well then in that case we can start today if you want. I can call Janet to see if she knows of any apartments that are for sale."

Ziva could see that Tony opposed to this, but his effort to help her find an apartment was enough for Ziva. She was very grateful for her husband and offered him a grateful smile and kiss at his efforts to support her no matter what. She loved her husband very much, and wouldn't trade him for anything in the world; maybe the only thing she would trade was how many women flirted with him on a daily basis. But even then, he only had eyes for her and he would make sure that she knew it, and that made her love him all the more.

**NCIS**

Tony's call to Janet had proven successful and had found them two viewings for the day. They'd headed to the first as it was the first stop on their way, but one look at the building and they didn't bother to even leave their car. Instead Tony locked the car doors and sped off, headed towards the second address that she had sent them.

The second was far better from the first and content with what they saw, they'd gone up to view the apartment for sale. At a reasonable price, a far decent from work and also in a completely different direction then where their house was located, the apartment pleased them both. Ziva didn't bother to think about it twice, and before she knew it she was signing the contract, and paying for the down payment with the money her father had given her to start a new life in America. It would take a week or two, for everything to be approved, before she was the owner of the apartment, but she figured a few calls to her father could speed up the process and hint at him that she was establishing a separate life.

Back inside the car and headed home, Tony took Ziva's hand. "I wish getting the house was that simple. We'd have already moved in by now." Tony joked.

Ziva nodded. "and with one call to the director of mossad the process will be much quicker. Having your father be the director of mossad has its perks."

"Well I suppose so." Tony turned his attention back to the rode, unsure of what to say next. The topic of Ziva's father was always touchy for them. He was Ziva's father and Ziva deserved that he at least respect him in her presence, but Tony absolutely despite that man. When they were younger he'd grown found of what he called his Israeli dad, Ziva's entire family had been his second family, especially after his mother died and his father had grown decent. He'd looked forward to going to visit him, as they treated him more like family then his own father did, but as Tony grew and he became more aware, he'd soon realized that Eli was not all that he thought him to be and quickly grew disappointed. "Well Mrs. DiNozzo what do you say an afternoon with an action movie, some delicious snacks, and a wonderful husband to cuddle on?

"I would say that the idea is very appealing." They both smiled, as they made their way onto the highway in the direction of their apartment. When had their life suddenly turned itself around, just a month ago, they were having to say goodbye so frequently, leaving one another for an indefinite amount of time and now, now they were buying a house, setting roots. They were finally getting the life they deserved and both hoped that it would last. It had to last.

**Monday **

The weekend had come to an end too quickly for the couples liking and before they knew it a new week awaited them. They now had an established morning routine, and like any morning today was no different. Ziva would go for a run, leaving Tony to sleep until her return, where she would wake him, sometimes allowing him to join her in the shower, that would result in them running a few minutes late. She'd pack their lunches if time allowed it, making him a travel mug of coffee and herself some tea, leaving the removal of their wedding bands to the very last moment. They'd grown accustomed to wearing them often now that they hated to take them off, but regardless they'd stow them away in Ziva's jeweler box until they would require them later that night. With a kiss goodbye, each vacated their car and drove in the direction of the Navy Yard.

With Ziva's driving it was almost guaranteed that she would make it before Tony, allowing them to arrive at separate times. She'd always walk into the bullpen, greeting McGee, before depositing her things and turning on her computer. If she had any pending paperwork, she'd start on it immediately, unlike Tony who would wait until Gibbs walked into the squad room to look productive.

Due to this fact, the senior field agent was definitely behind on his paperwork and today of all days the couple needed to leave work on time. Janet needed them in their office to sign a couple of papers so they could be processed and move the couple to the next step in purchasing their home. So, when Ziva asked Tony to lunch he had to refuse to finish his paperwork.

Ziva didn't like eating alone and ended up inviting McGee, promising Tony that she would bring him something back. But an hour later it was McGee and not Ziva walking through the elevator doors with his lunch. "A whole hour for lunch there, probie?" Tony asked curiously.

"Yeah, well Ziva wanted me to show her the best routes to get to work." McGee shrugged. "You know her driving has gotten a lot better? Barely broke any laws this time." McGee left Tony's food on his desk, laughing at his own joke.

Shocked, Tony snatched his burrito off his desk and walked over to McGee's. "Let me get this straight. Ziva asked you, who can barely navigate the navy yard, to show her the best way to work?"

"That's right," McGee sat back down at his desk.

Tony was a bit hurt, only because he knew that Ziva knew her way to work and didn't require assistance in her commute. So, he worried at what really was going on between the probie and his wife, but he couldn't very well voice his concern and continued on with the charade of the driving. "What about me? I know the perfect shortcuts in the metro area. I can shake ten minutes of her commute like that." Tony snapped his fingers. "It doesn't make any sense," Tony mumbled to himself as he made his way back to his desk. "Unless," Tony continued on with the game, trying to hide the insecurities he was feeling at the moment. "I intimidate her. I've seen it happen before it's a chemical thing. Hard to explain."

Ziva snuck up behind Tony while he was reminiscing on the first months of their relationship, hearing the last part of what he had said. "I do hope you try." Ziva leaned against the separation of his cubicle with her hand in her hair.

She had obviously started him because as soon as she spoke he jumped out of his chair and turned to look at her. But it wasn't much that she had startled him, as much as what he had caught him saying because if anyone was intimated by anyone it was Tony. He had told her a couple of times when they were teens, that he was scared of what she would do to him if he was ever to make her mad and now he was saying it was her. "I told you never to do that again."

She walked over to his desk so that she could stand closer to him. "Sorry, I was so intimidated by your presence I must have forgotten." Ziva thought that they were just playing along, but one look into her husband's eyes knew that he was truly upset on the matter. "Seriously Tony, I do apologize for not asking your advice on my commute."

"Don't worry about it." Tony tried to brush it off, as they were at work and in the presence of the probie.

Ziva caught McGee staring in bewilderment at how close they seemed to be and so, she was left with no other choice, but to resort to their typical games to distract McGee. "If I would have known you would have felt so emasculated." She turned to McGee to ask for confirmation at the usage of the correct word. "I would have asked you first."

Tony rose from his chair, so that he was inches from Ziva's face. "Trust me, it takes more than some exotic accent and stealth ninja moves to emasculate me." Honestly it didn't because her accent was enough to make the man look like a sap.

Ziva tilted her head and looked into her husband's eyes. It was taking all her self-control not to kiss him. "Only a little? How disappointing." She said in a child's voice and walked away, leaving a very tense Tony. They couldn't keep doing this because next time he wouldn't be able to have that much self-control and would end up kissing Ziva, or worse off having sex in the office bathroom.

Thankfully for the both of them Gibbs walked in at the moment telling them to "gear up we have a case." Their issues would have to be solved at a later time and place where there were no prying eyes.

**NCIS**

A six-year-old boy, Zach, had called NCIS because his father had been kidnapped while he rode the carousel. He was an astute boy, and knew that he was to call NCIS, if he were ever in trouble. So, now he patiently waited on the bench in front of the carousel for team Gibbs to arrive

Gibbs had sent Tony off to interview the boy as Ziva and McGee went with him. Tony wasn't having a difficult time getting the kid to speak and instead of looking incompetent in front of his boss, he assumed the boy was still in shock. But the boy had begged to differ and had said that he was waiting for Tony to ask him the appropriate questions.

They were only able to get so much out of the boy and Gibbs ordered McGee to call the boys mother, but after McGee informed them that their was no next of kin, Gibbs brought Zach back to NCIS.

Tony and Ziva went ahead of the others and as the issue from earlier had not been clarified the car ride had been a bit awkward. Ziva had enough of his silent treatment and decided to clarify this once and for all. "Tony you cannot possibly be mad because I asked McGee to show me a different route to work."

"Why didn't you ask me, Zi? Huh? I mean you get to work before I do anyways. Why would you need the probie to show you how to get to work?"

"I did not actually need a better route. If not, believe me ahuvi, I would have asked you. But I need to slowly show the team that I have my own place. That is why I asked McGee. That is all, I promise." Ziva placed her hand on Tony's thigh.

"Are you sure that's the only reason?"

"Yes, do you think that I would choose McGee over you?" Ziva raised an eyebrow at Tony.

"No, I know you will always come to me." Or so he hoped.

"Yes, because Tony you are my husband. I will always come to you when I have a problem and no one else."

"Ani ohev otakh." Tony said flawlessly. All those years with visting the David's and the private lessons he had begged his father had come to help him over the years, as he was able to have a handle on his wife's native tongue.

"Ani ohevet otkha." Tony took Ziva's hand, placing a gentle kiss to the back of it.

**NCIS**

They were no closer to finding Zach's father then they had been that morning, so Tony had called Janet once again to cancel. She had been understanding and rescheduled their meeting for a later date. But Tony was disappointed and to make matters worse Gibbs had ordered him to take care of all of the interviews of Commander Tanner's coworkers, the only thing he was looking forward to was that Ziva was to help him.

But six interviews in and Ziva was nowhere to be found, so he was left to do the remaining interviews alone. The most of which were annoying women who wouldn't stop flirting with him. In no mood to deal with them and desperate to see his wife he had gone off on a couple and afterwards felt guilty and by the time Tony saw Laura, Commander Tanner's assistant out to the elevator, he was at his breaking point. Thankfully, it was the last of the interviews. "You think of anything you call." Tony told Laura as he handed her his business card.

Out of the corner of his eye Tony noticed Ziva standing by the elevator, sly and seductively. "Where have you been I could have used help with those interviews?"

"Oh you look like you had your hands full with her." Ziva noticed how the woman kept flirting with Tony and couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.

Tony placed one finger to his lips as they made their way back into the bullpen. "Watch your sexual innuendos around the kid, he's had a rough day."

"He's taking it better than most adults. He's resilient."

"You see the way he's been acting around me?" Tony's voice became soft.

"I think it is because he doesn't like you, Tony." Ziva joked, though she knew Tony's fear of having his own kids despise him as much as he despised his father.

"Kids love me Ziva." He leaned over, whispering in her ear. "Our kids will love me."

A smiled tugged at her lips, but she quickly hid it. "I do not doubt you will make an excellent father, but this kid does not like you." Ziva smirked at the last part.

"You'll see he does." Tony called Zach over to give him an NCIS certificate, to reward him for his bravery throughout the case. Rolling his eyes, Zach made a comment about the head and walked off.

**Tuesday**

With the case wrapped up, Gibbs sent his agents home early that day. After three days of basically no sleep, he knew that they urgently needed sleep. "Go home. I want you back here at 0800." Having known never to second doubt their boss, they grabbed their gear and left the squad room, mumbling goodbyes to each on the way out.

Like always Tony and Ziva allowed McGee to leave before they did. While they waited Tony took the time to phone Janet. With no appointments scheduled, she'd been more than willing to meet them at her office. "Follow me there?" Tony asked Ziva.

"Yes." It was evident, both were extremely tired and urgently needed sleep, but it was very important that they take care of this as soon as possible and so sleep could wait for a couple more hours.

**NCIS**

"It's nice to see you both, Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo." Janet welcomed them, offering them a seat in front of her desk. "Well I have some good and bad news for the both of you." She noticed her clients' faces fill with worry. "There has been no issues with your paperwork, which means that you have been approved and will be able to sign the contract today if you please, which brings me to the bad news, this usually takes several hours and by the look of exhaustion on your faces I don't think you'll be up for it, so if you'd like I can reschedule the signing for another time." Janet shuffled a couple of papers. "But honestly with your schedules, I would prefer if it were today."

As much as they dreaded sitting to sign papers for a couple of hours, when they desperately wanted sleep, Janet had a point their schedule was unexpected. "Today is fine."

"Very well, but first there is some paperwork that needs to be signed here, before we head over." Janet picked up her briefcase, pulling out a stack of papers with highlighted and marked areas. Tony and Ziva exchanged a dreadful look. " I need you to sign here and here." Janet pointed to the marked areas.

Once all the marked areas had been signed, Janet headed to the copy room to make copies, which would be needed later on.

"I'm so tired I do not think I will make it through the signing." Tony ran a hand down his face and Ziva nodded in agreement. Sleeping in the office never allowed them more than a few hours of sleep, if any. "But at least the house will be ours. We can even manage to move in by the weekend. Pack during the week and then haul everything over Friday or Saturday morning."

"You do realize what you are saying Tony? This means that we are going to have to work and wake up early on the weekend?" Ziva was only emphasizing what was to come because she knew her husband and he definitely did not give up extra sleep on the weekends.

"Yeah, I know but I just want to be moved in and throw the party Sophie had suggested." Tony shrugged.

"Okay, but I do not want you whining Saturday morning when I wake you up."

"I give you permission to do whatever needs to be done to wake me. Which I know I'll later regret." Ziva leaned over to kiss her husband quickly.

"Okay, ahuvi. We will try to move everything by this weekend."

**NCIS**

On the second floor of the same building they met up with the owner's realtor to sign the rest of the legalities. Much like in Janet's office, they were explained the detail of what it was they were signing, before having them sign the marked areas.

It didn't take as long as they'd expected, before they were handed the keys and congratulated on the purchase of their home. Thrilled with the idea of this new life, Tony and Ziva momentarily set aside their exhaustion to head over to the house, to visit it once more before they officially started to move.

Ever anxious to get a move on things, the couple headed back to their apartment to start packing up Tony's belonging, of course after a much-needed nap. Tony started with his bedroom as Ziva took over the kitchen. By nine each had packed up their section completely, boxes packed, labeled and placed in the front of the apartment ready for transfer.

Ziva cooked dinner, something quick and simple, grilled chicken, steamed vegetables and rice, while Tony picked the movie for tonight. In a romantic mood, Tony picked Notting Hill, staring Julia Roberts. Much to tired to set the table, they'd brought their plates to the living room, accompanied with a glass of wine.

Tony took a bite of his food, groaning at Ziva's choice for dinner, but boy had he been mistaken. "Wow, Zi never thought I'd enjoy a healthy meal."

"I will take that as a compliment." Ziva smiled.

"It is." Boy had he really missed his wife cooking, among other things. After today, Tony was certain that he would never let his wife go, there was no force that could separate them now.

Both had started at their own side of the couch as they'd worked on their dinner, but by the middle of the movie the dishes were long forgotten on the coffee table and Ziva had curled up to her husband. "Thank you Tony, for calling your dad." Ziva looked up at him, pecking his lips.

"Anything for you, honey. I'd travel to the moon and back if that's what you wanted." Tony tightened his hold on his wife. He was truly the luckiest man in the world.

"There is no need. I want you here with me." She placed a light kiss to his chest as she snuggled to a more comfortable position in his arms.

"Then that's where I'll be, always." Both smiled. As much as both despised the event of their pasts, they wouldn't trade what happen. It had led them to each other and that was all that matter. But they couldn't help think that if their father's had never met on their business trip in Monte Carlo, then Ziva and him might have never meet. But faith worked in mysterious ways here they were years later, married.


	10. 3X08, Under Covers

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

**Tuesday**

Between spending all their free time after work packing and recruiting their friends, Tony and Ziva had everything packed up for the movers. The movers came Friday afternoon, forcing Ziva to leave work early with a lame excuse and watch over them. By Friday night everything was at the new house, furniture set up and boxes sorted in the rooms they belonged, to be emptied later. Since Ziva had to return to work and a case had them working until early hours of the next morning, the couple crashed on an unmade bed, not caring that all their things were packed away in boxes. They'd planned on waking up early Saturday morning to start on the unpacking, but they were exhausted and slept in instead. Well rested, they'd spent most of the afternoon unpacking, starting with the kitchen and the bedroom. By Sunday, all the most important things had been unpacked and the couple spent the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying their new home.

Tuesday morning upon their arrival Tony and Ziva were called in to the director's office. Ziva arrived first like it was customary and Tony arrived not too long after, greeting them all as he walked in to the squad room. "Good morning ho, Ziva." He quickly corrected himself. "McGoo." He greeted the probationary agent as well, hoping it would distract him from the slip up.

Thankfully for them McGee's attention was elsewhere. Tony sighed, dropping his backpack behind his desk and sending Ziva a curious glance. She shrugged, clueless as to why McGee was so distracted. "The director wants to see us in her office."

On the way up, Tony placed a hand on the small of Ziva's back. She shacked it off, brushing her hand past his. "Not here."

They walked to the director's office, closer than could be consider normal for coworkers. After that shrug off Tony felt that Ziva was upset with him, but the couple of hand brushes exchanged reassured him that Ziva had just done it to keep up their cover.

Cynthia led them into the director's office, telling them that she was expecting them. They walked in, coming to stand in front of her desk. "Good morning Agent DiNozzo, David."

"Good morning Director, you wanted to see us?" Ziva asked, as the director encouraged them to take a seat.

"Two bodies arrived to us this morning. They presumably were hired to take out a target at the marine ball. I want my best two agents to go undercover and continue with the assignment to figure out the target."

They stood shocked, but Ziva did a better job at hiding it then Tony. "You want us to pose as assassins?" He asked, pointing between him and Ziva. If it was true then he was really excited to do undercover work with his wife. He'd never done work like this with Ziva and it would be exciting to see her in action.

Director Shepard nodded. "Not only assassins agent DiNozzo, married assassins. I am afraid we don't have much on them except for the hotel they made reservations with. I am hoping Ducky and Abby will be able to give us more information." Tony seemed excited, but Ziva was worried that acting to be married while pretending they weren't married was going to be a difficult task and they would end up breaking their cover. "Do you accept?"

"Yes director." Ziva responded. As much as they worried about the mission, they couldn't afford to turn it down.

"Very well. Be back at NCIS tomorrow at 0700 with packed bags. Abby and McGee will brief you with as much information on our couple as they can." The agents left the director's office with worry, heading down to Abby's lab to be debriefed.

**NCIS**

That night in bed, Ziva curled up to her husband. They were both worried of what this undercover mission would risk for their secret. They were to act married, but it would be hard to keep from falling into their temptations. It was all an act, but they would not be able to resist if things went a little too far. "Are we going to be able to handle this Ziva?" Tony asked, sighing deeply.

"It is going to take a lot of self resistant from us, but I think that we will be able to handle it." Ziva rubbed circles around her husband's chest.

Tony kissed Ziva's temple, breathing her in. "I don't know if I will be able to. You're just so tempting."

"I know I am." She joked, smirking. Tony chuckled, rolling his eyes, but let it go. "But we will have to. It will be the only way."

"You're right." Tony brought their lips together. "I'm glad I have you to come home to Z." He sighed contentedly, as he brought Ziva closer.

"As am I ahava. I could not have ask for someone better." And she really couldn't. With Tony she felt as if she had won the lottery.

Tony's heart tightened at Ziva's words. "You make me the happiest guy alive. I love you to the moon and back Mrs. DiNozzo."

I love you too Mr. DiNozzo." The self-constraint that Ziva preached they needed was definitely going to be harder to keep than she thought. There was no way she would be able to keep her hands away from her husband and not cross some lines.

**Wednesday**

Tony sighed deeply as he handed the bellboy a twenty-dollar tip, jacket hung over his right shoulder. He smirked as he turned around to look for Ziva. Now this was how Tony wanted to spend a retreat with his wife, but unfortunately they weren't here for them, but it still didn't mean they couldn't enjoy it. Regardless Tony made a vow that he would plan a weekend getaway for just the two of them. "So, what do you think?"

Ziva emerged from the balcony doors, strutting a silk green deep cut dress, as Tony moved closer towards his wife. "Not bad I suppose." She stared at Tony, a hint of worry in her eyes. They were supposed to act as married assassins; they worried that they would fall too comfortably into the married act and somewhere during the mission slip up. The challenging aspect of this mission was separating their marriage life from that of the Raniers's.

Tony nodded, sending Ziva his understanding on the matter, but unsure if they were bugged, they had to play along with the Ranier marriage act. "Not bad she says, as she walks in from the outside patio, past the fax machine, mini bar, complimentary basket of fruit, perfect way to spend a weekend, with my wife." He mumbled the last part under his breath, as he continued to make his way over to the entertainment center, opening it to find a forty-two inch flat screen.

Ziva retreated to stand by the side table seductively, eating the grapes off the basket, as she watched her husband's fascinations with the entertainment center. Thinking as Sophie Ranier, she of course had other ideas in mind for entertainment, and if he thought that it included the premium channels, Tony was surely mistaken.

Tony was obviously in his own little world and Ziva knew how he was when it came to things like this. If she didn't stop him, he'd keep rambling for another hour. So, she walked up to him, pulling his hand and staring deeply into his eyes, conveying her change in character. It took Tony a while, but eventually he had caught on that it was time to start acting like the assassins. "I take it you are not interested in the premium channels?"

Of course, she was only speaking as Sophie Ranier, but at the moment having her husband so close she was finding it hard to find a distinction between the two. "There is only one thing I am interested in right now." Ziva's voice was full of lust, but still both hesitated. Tony was just as far gone as Ziva and he just smirked, shrugging. He believed they both had enough self control to not do anything that Tony and Ziva coworkers wouldn't do. That was all the reassurance they needed to pull each other close and into a kiss. This kiss was quick and rough, nothing like the passionate, tender kisses that they reserved for one another. But for now they had to set aside the mindset of Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo and bring forth that of Jean-Paul and Sophie Ranier.

The kiss brought them to Ziva quickly discarding her silk dress on the floor, sliding off her body as she worked on Tony's suit jacket, tie and shirt. The rest was left for him to take off as Ziva went to take off her high heels, only leaving her bra and lace panties. The clothes abandoned on the floor, Tony picked Ziva up swiftly, their mouths never parting once as they made their way over to the bed. He slammed Ziva back first on the bed, in hopes of continuing, but one hand on his chest stopped him. Tony looked at Ziva, a questioning look in his eyes. She knew what he was asking and shook her head as they regained their senses. They had gotten so lost in the moment that neither realized that this wasn't supposed to be real; as much as they wanted it to, it couldn't be real. The team knew they couldn't stand each other, or so they lead everyone to believe, so sex between co-workers would look suspicious, even if it were for a mission.

They stuck to simply kissing, still having a cover to protect, Tony trailed kisses down Ziva's neck, collarbone, breast, and finally down to her navel. He was teasing her and she knew it. She could see it in his eyes how much he was enjoying torturing her and to get back at him she did the same. They were both playing with fire and sooner or later they would end up getting burned. Giving in to temptation, the rest of the clothes were discarded. Ziva was finding it hard to keep her focus and attempt not to scream as much as usual, trying to keep the noises to a fake real. They didn't know who was watching and some needed to believe it was real and others that it was fake. It was all just too confusing to keep straight.

Both pleased with something that shouldn't have been done in the first place Tony slammed himself on top of Ziva, grabbing the stereo remote to turn on some music to muffle out their conversations. "You think they bought it?" It was a silly question really, because there wasn't anything fake about what they had just done and with NCIS not having eyes or ears on them currently they had some liberty to push the limits.

"I did," Tony winked.

Ziva smirked. "That's very obvious." She knew the kind of power she had over Tony's body.

"You can't blame a husband for the way his body reacts to his naked wife lying under him." Tony whispered.

"As flattering as that is, I think that is enough gambling for tonight." Ziva replied trying to get Tony off of her.

"It's only been ten minutes. I have a reputation to uphold. Let's give it another 40." He leaned to pull their lips together, kissing Ziva more tenderly.

"40 minutes, huh?" Ziva smirked. That was nothing compared to the weekends spent solely in the bedroom.

"I'm only trying to keep it realistic." In reality Tony just wanted an excuse to be close to his wife, he could care less about a reputation.

"Well if we are being realistic then you know I like being on top." Ziva rolled them over, straddling Tony's chest and smoothing out his hair, placing an aggressive kiss to his lips. It was nothing like the usual kisses, slow, tender yet passionate, filled with love and adoration but for now it would have to do.

**NCIS**

They lay in bed, Tony flat on his back, as Ziva leaned her head on his chest curling his chest hair around her finger. "You know what I could use right now?"

Both were playing their parts well as the married assassins, but they also had to bring in some of the Tony and Ziva banter to keep both watchers happy. "Some deodorant?" She chuckled.

"A back message." Tony groaned out as he stretched his back.

"Good idea," Ziva replied. A sly little smirk appeared on her face as she told Tony to roll over. He did and she straddled his back as she worked out all her husband's knots.

The massage was far from helpful. They were three seconds away from another round, but a knock on the door saved them. "Who is it?" Ziva asked, following their protocol.

"Room service," Ziva opened the door to uncover McGee wearing the hotel's room service uniform, pushing a cart, with wine and tech gadgets hidden under the trays.

McGee checked the room for bugs, as he placed a vase with a camera so that NCIS could have eyes inside of the room, meaning they could no longer afford to be so careless. As McGee continued to scan, he found a bug and placed a tray of assorted cheeses in front of it. When McGee noticed the unmade bed so many thoughts were running through his mind, only one registered and he asked if it needed to be made. Both smirked, responding that it wouldn't be necessary. They knew they'd freaked McGee out by the face of shock he made, but they chose not to elaborate.

"Anything else miss?" Ziva asked for the mini fridge be restocked with red bull, elaborating that it was just what she needed to stay up all night.

McGee was utterly surprised. He was putting two and two together and solving it to Tony and Ziva sleeping together, but would his coworkers really go as far as having sex for the mission? As soon as he returned to the navy yard he would need to consult this with Abby. She would surely be able to help him figure this out.

With McGee gone and a nice yelling from Gibbs to Tony for being too comfortable, the Ranier couple received their first phone call. Director Shepard ordered Tony to ask Ziva to answer it. "Sweetcheeks, can you answer that please?" Ziva looked him up and down, playing with her fingers. "Thanks, honey."

Ziva answered the phone, receiving the instructions from their hire. It was simple and brief, the call not lasting more than a few minutes. "It was the concierge my love. It looks like I will be getting dressed up for you tonight." She walked back towards Tony, taking the champagne glass that he had poured for her and clinking their glasses they tried to keep their composure.

"Well I am going to take a shower." Ziva saw all of Tony's intentions of joining her and she would have allowed him to, if she knew that NCIS wasn't watching, but they were and they couldn't afford to risk it. Ziva leaned over to whisper something in Tony's ear. "As much as I would love for you to join me, I do not think it is a good idea yakiri."

Tony nodded, rubbing a hand down his face as Ziva walked off. Well it had been fun while it lasted. Now that NCIS had eyes on them, Tony could sense it was to be a long and frustrating night if they had to keep their distance, while still being close.

**NCIS**

Tony and Ziva made it down to the hotel restaurant as per their instructions. Ziva played agent, trying to keep Tony on track as well as he kept goofing off. During their dinner Ducky, Abby, Gibbs and the director instructed them. Ducky had found that Jean Paul was a lefty, forcing Tony to eat like a left-handed person. He'd struggled cutting his steak and was giving up when they'd received another phone call. Ziva answered, trying to keep their contact speaking long enough to allow Abby to trace the call.

She'd been able to trace it, but when Tony had reached the phone booth, the caller had disappeared, leaving them back at square one. They'd finished up dinner and headed back to the room to maintain their cover as per orders of Gibbs.

Back in their room both Ziva and Tony changed into something more comfortable and collapsing on the couch, cuddled in each other's arms like they usually did when watching movies. This much they knew wouldn't bring up questions, but they had to keep the touching and kissing to a minimum. "This is nice." Tony whispered.

Ziva nodded against Tony's chest, mumbling in agreement. "Aside from the reason we are here, I have enjoyed it."

"Well then maybe we should plan a weekend getaway of our own." Tony kissed the top of Ziva's head, forgetting for a moment that they were being watched.

"I would like that." Ziva sighed contently, cozying up to her husband to continue watching the movie.

**NCIS**

McGee had come to MTAC to inform them that Gibbs wanted them keeping up appearances. So again, they found themselves in bed, but unlike last time everything was faked. Frustrated they were forced to stop and settled to cuddling in bed, whispering so neither NCIS nor whoever else was listening could hear them.

After a while though, there wasn't much left for them to do and as much as Tony and Ziva loved spending alone time with one another they didn't have the freedom to do what they normally did on nights like these. Instead, they opted for calling it quits early. But for some reason unknown to Tony, Ziva was snoring and he was unable to sleep.

"Oh my god," Tony mumbled. He didn't understand why Ziva was snoring; she had never snored before. "Ziva, shh," but Ziva wouldn't keep quiet. He tried placing a pillow over his ears to drown out the noise, but it didn't work. "Sophie!" Tony called out as a last resort.

Normally on undercover work, Ziva was aware when she was called by a different name, but hearing her husband's voice caught her off guard. She grabbed hold of the gun she always slept kept under her pillow and held it to Tony's head. "Mhmm," she asked still half asleep.

Scared because Ziva had only done this one other time, Tony stood still. "Nothing I thought I heard something."

Ziva rolled back over to her side, but on instinct she moved closer to Tony. "Crazy chick," Tony mumbled for show.

"I heard that my little hairy but." She refuted, but that didn't keep Tony from placing a hand on Ziva's side as she leaned closer to him.

**Thursday**

Ziva had woken early as usual. Tony on the other hand had not been able to sleep because of his wife's unusual snoring and was now sprawled across the bed. Unfortunately for Tony and McGee, McGee was on wake up duty and kept calling "Tony!" into his earpiece. Tony swatted at his ear, trying to rid of the annoyance, but it was not working.

Seeing and hearing McGee's failed attempt to wake Tony, Ziva stepped in, remembering Tony's permission to wake him by any means necessary. Grabbing her bottle of water, Ziva went to stand by Tony. "Jean Paul, my little furry bear," she called in a singing voice, before she poured the water slowly over his face.

Tony swatted at the water before jumping up on the bed, "I'm in position boss." Tony looked around the room, coming to his senses and realizing that he was in their hotel room. Ziva shuddered at how abruptly he'd waken. In a mood from being awoken from a restless night, he called out that he was going to take a shower.

Ziva knew that if she didn't do anything, Tony would be insufferable for the rest of the day. So, a few minutes later Ziva snuck into the bathroom and undressing quickly, hopped into the shower, scaring her husband in the process. "Geez Zi, what have I told you about doing that." He said a bit coldly, but Ziva's lighthearted smile made Tony forget all about his mood.

"We are going to need to be very quiet, yakiri." Tony nodded and swiftly he lifted Ziva, pinning her against the wall. Quickly they lost themselves in one another, forgetting about the outside world.

**NCIS**

Tony and Ziva had stayed in the room all morning, while Gibbs and McGee figured out why the FBI was involved in this. They'd spent most of the morning in bed, both becoming more and more frustrated as time went on, but now Gibbs had called and they just waited around the room as the FBI cleaned out the room for bugs. Ziva had gone to the bathroom to receive a phone call from the director, while Tony was left to watch over the agent. Not too long after Ziva walked out of the bathroom to find Maya flirting with her husband. "I'm pregnant Tony." She called out nonchalantly, closing her phone and smirking at Maya.

Tony found it hard to swallow, almost chocking on his own spit. Ziva chuckled, but thought to clarify. "Oh relax, ahava. Sophie Ranier is pregnant."

Even then Tony couldn't help but imagine Ziva pregnant. He was finding it hard to respond and thankfully once again their contact called, allowing Tony to regain his composure. Ziva had taken charge of things and retreated to inform their boss of the new found information.

Their earlier conversation was still fresh in Tony's mind and he couldn't help but keep picturing Ziva pregnant. A little girl with her black curls and his green eyes running around the house chasing their golden retriever, it was an image that both scared and intrigued him. Ziva noticed Tony's pensive look. "Is something wrong?"

Tony walked off the bed and headed over to join Ziva. "Just trying to picture you pregnant." He admitted.

"Don't," Ziva continued to clean her gun not once looking up at Tony. She didn't want him getting ideas after this. They were newly married; she had just moved back and it wasn't safe to bring a child into the world.

"I have to, I'm going to be a father. It's a great responsibility." A responsibility that neither of them was prepared to handle just yet.

**NCIS**

As instructed they made their way down to the lobby, but on the elevator they were forced off at the third floor. They took them into a room and tied them back-to-back. They men started with the rules and asking Ziva a serious of questions, but she wasn't cooperating. Each time Ziva didn't answer or provide the answer they wanted it was Tony receiving the punches. It continued on like this for a while, and each time Tony was struck, Ziva flinched, a gut wrenching feeling in the pit of her stomach.

The assassins left Tony and Ziva to discuss about the ultimatum he had given them. As soon as they had left Tony told Ziva to tell them the chip was in their hotel room, so that she could be taken with them, leaving Tony behind. "No, ahava I will not leave you here to die."

"Go, Ziva you get out of here. I can handle myself." Tony struggled against the ropes trying to get loose.

"No Tony I will not leave you here to die." Ziva repeated as tried to turn to see Tony, but they were tightly tied up.

The assassins returned briefly, asking the same question about the chip. Tony hoped that Ziva would tell them what they had discussed, but she was being stubborn and would not say anything. Tony was going to let her have her way, but when they put a knife to her throat he didn't hesitate to speak up. "She knows where the chip is, but she has to show you." Tony was determined to have Ziva safe regardless of what it would mean for him.

They agreed and untied Ziva, preparing to transport her to the hotel room. Ziva was worried of what would happen to Tony and she glancing at her husband. She could not leave Tony here, especially when she'd overheard one of the men tell the other that if they were not back in five minutes to have Tony killed.

Thankfully when they all reached their hotel room, McGee and Gibbs were waiting to follow through with the plan. Once they'd taken care of one of the men all three rushed for Tony. Seeing Tony tied to his chair, kicking the man who beat him over and over, gave Ziva some sense of relief knowing her husband was safe. Ziva rushed to Tony's, placing her hand tenderly on his shoulder. "Tony that is enough." Tony kicked him one last time. "Stop, Tony." Ziva stressed. He did and she quickly untied him, supporting him to Gibb's car.

**NCIS**

The entire team was gathered in the squad room; therefore Ziva could not be the worried wife at the moment only the worried co-worker. Abby was being overly protective of her big brother and would send Ziva death glares every time the Israeli came close to Tony's side. Which in turn infuriated Ziva because Abby had no claims over her husband, but she kept acting like she did. So, as much she wanted to be by her husband's side she couldn't.

When Ducky deemed Tony perfectly healthy and prescribed some aspirin and scotch, Ziva took that as her cue to approach the desk, his keys already in hand. "I get to drive you home." She smiled, knowing that Tony would be excited about finally returning home.

The team mistook Tony's sigh of relief as a groan of fear. "Uh, Ziva maybe I should drive him." McGee intervened.

"Uh why?" Ziva raised an eyebrow at McGee, slightly confused.

"Because maybe he wants to live," Abby replied rudely.

Tony was fed up with Abby's attitude towards Ziva and interjected trying to get Ziva back as his designated driver. "It's okay probie, I'd rather get home pronto."

"Maybe he's gone delirious." McGee whispered to Abby, but Ziva had still overheard.

Tony stood, wanting to leave before they took the keys from Ziva, not they could anyway. He stood but everything was spinning and he slammed into the wall almost tipping over the printer. Ziva ran to his side, helping him stand up and managing to get a tender rub of his belly.

"Thanks babe." Tony whispered as they made their way into the elevator, Ziva still supporting Tony from one side and he kept leaning into her, glad to be so close.

In the privacy of the elevator Ziva finally let out everything she had wanted to say to Tony after they had gone to him. "Tony DiNozzo I do not want you to do that ever again. I will never leave you to die. We are in this together, so if that means the two of us get tortured oh well. But I will not leave you. Is that understood?" She let out a frustrated groan. Never had she been so scared of a mission until this very one with Tony.

"I can't guarantee I will keep the promise but I will try. You're my wife Ziva, which means I will want to always keep you safe even if it means I take my last breath." Tony sighed. Ziva tightened her hold on Tony, wanting her husband close. "When I kept getting punched I was relieved that it was me they were hitting and not you. I could have endured a hundred more if it meant that they left you alone. I'm you're husband, which means I'll never stop worrying."

Ziva knew there was nothing she could say that would come even close to comforting Tony after everything he had said. Instead she opted for the three words that would remind both of them of the promise they had made not too long ago. "I love you."

I love you too, sweetcheeks." He leaned down to bring their lips together.

**Saturday**

The following morning Ziva awoke early to unpack the kitchen a bit more for the housewarming party. Yesterday had been tough on Tony, so Ziva decided to let him sleep in until absolutely necessary. She placed a gentle kiss to his forehead and headed back downstairs to unpack the rest of the kitchen.

With the kitchen unpacked, Ziva started on breakfast. It was only something simple, mixed fruit with yogurt and granola, orange juice and French toast. She found Tony's food tray, the one he'd bought on a whim one weekend Ziva had visited, so that he could make her breakfast in bed.

Quietly she walked into the bedroom, placing the tray on the nightstand and walked over to the bed to wake her husband accordingly. "Good morning mon petit pois."

Tony smiled against Ziva's lips. "Hmmm, can I wake up like this every morning?"

"It would not be special if I did it everyday." Ziva captured Tony's lips once more. "Are you feeling better?" Ziva placed her hands carefully around Tony's bruises, they looked worse than they had yesterday and she couldn't help but feel guilty for all the blows Tony had received.

"I am now," Tony pulled Ziva by the waist, causing her to fall onto the bed and into Tony's lap.

"Tony!" Ziva squealed. "I have made us breakfast in bed." She got off Tony's lap and grabbed the tray from the nightstand. "Bon appetite," she placed the tray on Tony's lap as she crawled on the bed to join him.

"Does this breakfast include a shower afterwards?" Tony asked.

Ziva laughed. "We shall see ahava." But both knew that meant that there would definitely be room for a shower together later on.

**NCIS**

Ziva had just stuck the lasagna in the oven when the doorbell rang. Tony went to answer it as Ziva finished up in the kitchen. "Hey," Tony greeted Paul and Sophie, leading them into the foyer where Ziva had joined them.

"This is such a lovely house, Tony." Sophie smiled taking off her sweater and revealing a small baby bump.

"Thank you, do you guys know if Marc and Greg are coming?" Tony asked as he took Sophie's sweater and hung it in the hallway closet.

"Yeah, Marc got lost but he's almost here. By the way, he's bringing the girlfriend so be on your best behavior."

Ziva walked into the foyer joining her friends, she walked over to Sophie embracing her into a hug and taking notice of the small bump. "That was not there the last time I saw you."

Sophie smiled widely. "I know. It just happened this morning."

"You look wonderful," Ziva returned the gesture. "Would you like a tour of the house?" Sophie nodded.

Ziva took Sophie on a tour of the house while the guys stayed downstairs. By the time Sophie and Ziva returned to their husbands, Marc had arrived with his girlfriend Kristen and her six-year-old daughter Kathleen. Greg, Margo and their two-year-old twin daughters, Emily and Emelia showed up shortly after.

"Aunt Ziva! Aunt Sophie!" The toddlers ran over, their blonde pigtails flying, each hugging their favorite aunt.

"Shalom, Emelia." Ziva greeted, picking Emelia up and taking her to join the rest of the group.

They all gathered in the backyard the men at the grill, the kids out in the yard, and the women at the table enjoying some tea and introducing themselves to the newest member of the group. "Ziva, so are you here to stay?" Margo asked.

"Yes, this time I am here indefinitely. I do not think I could have lasted much longer from Tony. It was difficult having to keep saying goodbye." Ziva glanced to her husband who was laughing at something funny one of the guys had said.

"Sorry I don't mean to pry but you didn't live with your husband?" Kristen asked.

"No, until two weeks ago I lived in Israel." She answered simply. Sophie was the only one that knew most of the truth.

Kristen was definitely surprised by this. "That must have been extremely difficult, especially with the time zones."

Ziva nodded. "Yes it was hard but we found a way to make it work."

Tony walked behind Ziva, placing a kiss to her temple. "Can you go get the plates sweetcheeks? Foods almost ready."

"Ken. The mission is over Tony, you can stop using that animal name." Ziva excused herself from the table to collect the disposable plates and bring out more tea. When she returned with what she needed she set it on the table and joined her husband's side, wrapping her arms around his waist and placing a kiss on his collarbone. "Thank you Tony."

"Anything for you, honey."

The steaks and hot dogs, for the kids, were ready in no time. Everyone joined around, making room so everyone could fit. Conversation topics were exchanged throughout the table, the topic of interest being Marc and Kristen, but the couple wanted to get the attention off of themselves and switched to Paul and Sophie's exciting news. Leaving Tony and Ziva in the spotlight for last. Everyone had been thinking the same two questions and it had been Greg who manned up and asked. "Ziva, so I'm guessing this means that you wont be leaving us again?"

"No, Greg I am here to stay." Tony squeezed Ziva's hand. It had been so difficult for them over the years, but finally they were together and that was all that mattered.

"Good, we all missed you." Everyone else nodded in agreement. "So will we be expecting another munchkin anytime soon? I mean you guys are the last ones. Margo and I already have two, Sophie and Paul are expecting and our newest addition is Kathleen."

The topic of kids was difficult for them, and their friends not knowing the details of their life would never understand. Tony stepped in saving his wife from having to explain. "Not right now, we haven't even been married a year guys. Give us some time, okay?" Tony said simply. They didn't need to know all the details about Eli, mossad or their jobs.

Greg noticed something in Tony's voice and didn't press matters further. Instead he switched the topic of conversation.

**NCIS**

The guys had become rowdy and started a game of basketball in the neighborhood park. The men played two on two as the wives sat between the basketball courts and the children's swings to keep an eye on their men and the children.

The guys only lasted through two games before they collapsed in the grass next to their wives. Tony leaned against a tree, Ziva in front of him, arms wrapped around her waist. "You played well, yakiri. The others did not come even close." Ziva flattered her husband.

"Are you trying to butter me up Mrs. DiNozzo?" Tony raised an eyebrow.

"That depends, is it working?" Ziva turned her head so that she could look up at Tony.

"It most certainly is." Tony placed a kiss on her shoulder and let out a sigh of content.

"Then you and I have important matters that need to be discussed tonight." Ziva leaned against Tony's chest resting her head, fidgeting with her rings she only wore when they were not to be at work.

"I'm looking forward to it, Zi." Tony couldn't' wait to christen their new bedroom and almost every other room in the house. Tonight there would be little sleep, but that didn't seem to worry either of them. They were just so content at the moment nothing else seemed to matter. It was nice to have friends that knew they were married, that they were able to be themselves and not have to think about every move before they took it so as not to accidently brush by Tony, or say something that would give them away. It was quite tiring and Tony and Ziva enjoyed the moments where they were able to be themselves.

They had been hiding their relationship for as long as they had been together and it felt nice to have someone other than her aunt know about them. Over the years Tony's friends had become hers and she couldn't have asked for better.


End file.
